Dancing Diamond
by PunkRoseBlitz
Summary: While dancing with her friends one night, a mysterious biker named Oblio offers a dance battle with Luce Valentine, who just got back into dancing. His moves are similar to hers, so she plans on asking him to partner up for DCI's crew throwdown. For a guy as solitary as Oblio, he might eventually warm up to Luce.
1. Renewed Opportunity

**A new story at freaking last! :D This isn't my first fanfiction, but I'm doing this to support the fan base of Dance Central here, my love for the series, ****_and _****their awesome characters. I hope my OC isn't Mary-Sue-ish, because OCs have to have flaws and times where they're pressured, that they would end up in embarrassment, failure, etc. I do have other OCs in my other stories, but I'm more concerned with this one because this game has everything a game should have, and it's like another world... or something. xP If you want to know more about my OC, just message me and I'll give you a DC character like profile of her, and I hope you enjoy this story! ^_^**

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**~Chapter One: Renewed Opportunity~**

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The night was cool and busy in Central City. The large town is one of the rare cities in the country to have a large population of mostly dancers than any other occupation. Of course, there are other jobs, but dancing is the main event when you're new to this town. This young lady in front of the dance club with lights flashing on the inside is no exception for being a dancer.

Luce Valentine slightly cringed before opening the door where behind it holds music. The black-haired lady heard that the dance club she's about to enter is a place where any type of dancers would meet, and a certain "group" will determine who is worthy for what they hold. They're being watched, but not from above, or from another building. Their location is extremely classified, it could take months to find the true spot.

Her mom introduced dancing to her when she was seven, and boy, what a journey that was. It wouldn't be like a roller coaster, but more likely a road trip around the whole continent. She made it out as a good dancer, but she would have to practice more than what she achieved since nobody's perfect. Luce herself honestly does not know if she can do it, since her mother died when she was seventeen, right before she finished her junior year.

It was a good thing that she coped her mother's death and moved on, but every time someone mentions, or says mom in any way of fashion, she would go into a temporary depression state, much like sitting down facing the corner. If anything that involves her can make her feel like she wants to give a verbal threat, reminding them that she is dead and ask darkly why they are talking about her in front of Luce. Pretty much right now, Luce hadn't heard anyone on TV or in her city talking about her mother, so it was much of a relief for now. It was traumatizing to even think about her death. Unfortunately, it's not her mother's death that is taking her courage away, it was loneliness in her own perspective.

The brunette gripped her card, titled "DC", and designed like a theme from _Tron_ carefully, making sure it doesn't slip at any cost. Her close friend gave it to her so she can show everyone in the club what she is worth, and not to mention, have fun. Luce was thankful for that, but she herself doesn't know if dancing will make her think away from the past. She looked at the back, seeing the date on the happening event. It gave her chills, knowing that she's not the best dancer, but she's willing to try since it's her first love.

She gulped hard, opening the door to see bright lights, hear loud music, and feel cool air from the air conditioner. She adjusted her glasses to make sure the bright lights wouldn't be too harsh on her vision. She looked up, seeing countless stars all over the midnight blue sky. Yep, a roofless dance arena sure is the party place; just add rain and then party's over. Although, it can have a roof when the control room has the right to do so.

The people were too busy to see her as she try to get something to drink. Taking out a couple of dollar bills, Luce took her order and waited for the smoothie she requested be ready as soon as possible. Her brown eyes looked around to see some faces she didn't know, but later some that were at her former high school. She's that type of person who would wait until someone calls out to her, so that she wouldn't ruin a moment for someone or screw up their dance routines.

"Here, darling," the bartender said to her, making Luce blink back to reality. Her smoothie is a frothy purple color, Wild Berry, her favorite flavor. She put her DC card in her jacket and started to taste the sweet flavor of her drink. While drinking it slowly, she took out her iPhone and went to her photos, seeing her mother and herself side by side, smiling. Luce sighed deeply, resuming back to her deep thinking.

Her eyes are the same as her mother's, along with her facial appearance, but much younger. Her mother was protective of her daughter, caring to her, and after school, she would teach her the dance moves that she would do in movies and music videos. It helped Luce figured out her future, by being a dancer just like her mother. She smiled when she looked at an award her mother held when she was at the MTV Movie Awards. There were more than that, but she doesn't have pictures of other awards, so that would have to do.

Since then, Luce would have been lonely at home for almost a year. Her father took it hard just like her, resulting in him working more hours and trying to not look at his daughter, since she's a spitting image of her. Her older brother is studying at a college way at the other end of the country, so calling him would be a waste of time, due to the time difference. Every night, when her father is still at work, she would end up calling her friends so she can give herself some company before going to bed, and it worked, if some of them didn't have any plans. One of her friends, however, would always call her when she needs him.

Being eighteen and without a mother seemed complicated than she thought, even if she has her friends to comfort her. Luce wondered what would happen if her mother was still alive. Would it bring the family together? Would it give her strength to look up to her mother's movies and videos so she can succeed them?

_I'm sure you would like to hang here with me, don't you, Mom? If only that-_

"Diamond, you're finally here!" a female, cheerful voice yelled out through the club. Luce blinked again, looking at the girl waving, along with others who are smiling. As soon as she heard "Diamond", a nickname that her two friends have given her, she would smile with pure joy. The only time Luce would have her pain healed temporary, is hanging out with her friends. If she didn't have them, who knows what Luce would do to her life? She smiled, the past going away for her friends. She finished her smoothie and put her iPhone in her jacket pocket.

"Emilia!" she replied happily while doing a high-five with her. Her smile was still there when she looked at three more people. A guy wearing a hoodie that covered his eyes put an arm around her, smiling. Another put a hand on her shoulder, the one wearing an outfit Ne-Yo would wear.

"Girl, your outfit is happening!" a pink haired woman with a British accent told her. Luce blushed lightly, but smiled. She didn't really tried, but she does love to wear clothes that suited her style. "If I had a drink and dance at this hour, then that would ruin-"

"Dare, you know she wouldn't let that happen, isn't that right, Angel?" the African-American asked. He nodded, giving Luce his hat. She grinned as she made sure the hat is securely on her.

"Right, Mo," the Latino replied. Right before he could speak, he heard a song that he knows Luce likes. "I believe it is time for you to dance, isn't, Luce?" he asked politely. The brunette nodded and went with him, while the other three followed. A slow dance isn't what would happen at this place or between them. Angel and Luce have been childhood friends since they were in kindergarten, but her dad has been cautious when he would hang around at her house for schoolwork, movie nights, or anything else. Emilia is another friend too, since she planned with Luce to become the greatest dancers the world has even known. Dare was a transfer student from England, but she was born in Japan to an English father and a Japanese mother, and became friends with the two ladies when they have a great sense of fashion and dance; Luce for fashion, and Emilia for dance. Mo is like another brother to Luce, since he is protective of her and would make sure everything is settling for what they would do, even if he covers his eyes.

It was almost a year since she danced this much, but she still managed to use her best swag from what her mother taught her. She still danced when her mother died, but it was a bit weaker than her average dancing, proving how depressed she was back then. The four watched her moves carefully as if they were studying for a big exam. They knew her mother, but not as much as Luce herself. She used her feet to make strict contact to the floor, performing a dance move that surprised them, but later impress them. Once she finished her dance, she caught her breath and grinned.

"This is how the show is!" she said, using her catchphrase after finishing her choreography. She did a fast spin and raised her arms to the air, slowly landing them down like a person at an airport would do to instruct a touchdown to the plane. "Always expect the unexpected!" The four applauded her performance, in which she blushed slightly at, but she wasn't embarrassed too badly. To Luce, it felt good to dance like this again.

One of her favorite songs, "Rump Shaker", began to play after the five danced to a dub-step song. "Diamond, Dare!" Emilia said happily. "Let's show the people what we got!" Luce gave Angel his hat back, her passion for dancing becoming much more stronger. They nodded in agreement, heading to the center of the club, which was when everyone started to gather their attention to the three ladies. The intro extended a bit, which gave the dancers more time to get ready. Luce love the song so much, she made up a choreography to it that would match old school hip hop.

_Mom, I hope you're watching, because this will be my time to shine,_ Luce thought, smiling while looking at the star filled sky. At the other side, the two guys smiled at them, but light bulbs appeared on top of their heads.

"Yo, MacCoy!" Mo called out to the DJ. "Turn it up high for these awesome ladies!" The DJ, who was blond and wearing yellow goggles gave him a thumbs up and grinned.

"I guarantee that you won't be disappointed!" Angel added.

"Sure thing, dudes!" MacCoy replied, turning up the volume at its highest.

"Let's go, girls! After this we will party at my place," Dare said excitedly through her heart-shaped shades. Luce nodded, breathing deeply before the intro of the song went to the lyrics. The time in the song was carefully instructed by Luce, and it took Emilia and Dare a couple of days to get use to the background dancing. Not that it wasn't their taste of music, it was the choreography and how to beat goes.

Luce showed off the crowd the move "Bounce Step", with the other two, which got the crowd screaming as loud as they can. In almost every song that would play, there would be a freestyle. With that, the three ladies showed off their signature moves one at a time, giving the crowd more than they can ever offer. While whistling, Mo and Angel couldn't help but felt that something was coming out of nowhere. But they were right. They look up to see a motorcycle above the club.

"Watch out, y'all!" Mo screamed out, running up to them, looking above the club to see that it is coming down at slow looking yet fast speed. The girls were too busy dancing to the song, but Luce heard him and dropped her mouth, seeing what was going on.

"What the hell-?" Taken away by Angel and Mo, the three girls stayed away to a safe spot, just right before the motorcycle landed on the dance floor. Right after, the two helped the three back up on their feet. The music suddenly stopped with the help from MacCoy, which was no surprise to do since a crazy person did a dangerous maneuver.

"I said that the cake is not a lie!" a random male said, which made everyone look at him weirdly. He was slightly embarrassed, but he raised his hands in protest, grinning funnily. "Um... Let's just go back to the guy who just almost killed the dancers," he said nervously, but kind of rubbing it in too much. Everyone agreed and looked at the biker with awe and surprise. He took off his helmet, observing the place with his ocean blue eyes. He started to grin darkly because of where he is.

Whispers started to scatter across the room, and most of them have to do with the mysterious biker. By the look on his face, however, he didn't seem to mind. Mo and Angel looked at him with distrust, since he just landed inside the building where the three dancers would have been. The three ladies across from him looked with shock and curiosity. They both have the same look on their faces, but they were thinking different topics.

_Is this guy only here to cause trouble or something?_ Emilia thought, her green eyes wide at the sight of him. Her blue wrapped hands slightly loosened, noticing what he's planning.

_Tell me why we have a club that has no roof for tonight?_ Dare thought breathing slowly through her nose. Her green eyes softened when she found out why he's in the club.

For Luce, there was something strange about him. His hair blue as a blueberry, a long side bang at his left eye included for the hairstyle. His eyes matched his hair color, which makes it rather cool like water. He wasn't here to make danger, he was here for a reason: dancing.

_You... are a dancer just like us. Are you here for an exact reason?_ Luce thought carefully, observing him carefully so it wouldn't look like she was eyeing his appearance. He got off of his bike, heading to the three women, himself across from Luce. He looked at the other two before speaking.

"Let us... commence with the dance," he spoke up. "Dance is a great art form, and I am a great artist." His voice was chilling to the bone, but it was like someone who fights off against evil. It startled everyone in the club. Everyone in the room stopped with the talking, whispering, and any kind of movement. If anyone asks a person to a dance battle, things get serious, and there's no turning back to whoever challenges someone.

One of the ladies will have to face him, but will one of them win or lose against him?

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**~Chapter Two coming soon...~**

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**Oh, hi there, you fine-looking dancer/biker/superhero, whatever the hell you are. XD Thanks to the intro of the game, this helped my first chapter. XD Hehehe... So I guess you can say the next chapter is going to continue off from here. ****So far on updating, I may upload it twice a week, but for this one, I'll give it a week and see how it does later on. ****I'm really looking forward to your opinion, you guys! **

**Please don't forget to review! It helps me and my motivation! :)**


	2. Dance Battle

**Wow... for a start, I got two followers, a favorite, and two reviews! Well, since the fan base here is pretty small, it's okay. :) Thank you for reading this guys! If I could give you cookies, I would to say thanks. :P And now for a quick reply to my guest here, and the story shall start!**

**TotallyrandomXD: I'm glad you love this story! :) I think Mo has superhuman vision, so his hood/jacket/hat helps protect his eyes from too much vision? XD It's my guess, but there are different conclusions to the real answer.**

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**~Chapter Two: Dance Battle~**

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The three women looked at the biker, who just asked one of them to have a dance battle with him. Despite his questionable appearance, he shouldn't really be a person looking for trouble of any kind. Something about that smirk he's giving to one of them and the fire in his eyes shows that he's aiming for a goal.

"It is on, then, man!" Emilia said, stepping up front for Dare and Luce. Her voice surely is full of energy and is serious, but she didn't smile. She cracked her knuckles and later roll her head from side to side slowly, preparing herself for the action. The other two looked at her, then at each other, their faces remained as they had them when they first saw the guy. Dare couldn't let her do that, so she did the same.

"Emilia, don't worry. I will handle this." The mysterious man looked at them nonchalantly, his arms crossed when the two are in front of Luce. Despite their confidence, he knew who he has chosen, and surprisingly, he picked the one that was different from the other two. Someone that hasn't shown her type of assurance.

"I appreciate the offers, you two, but I actually meant her," he told them, looking at Luce for proof. She blinked, looking up at the man who is taller for her head being at his collarbone. The other two looked at her with surprise. They stepped back, so that they wouldn't interrupt Luce. Everyone's eyes were on her, wondering if she'll accept or reject the dance battle.

_Come on, man, why me? I just... _Luce thought in worry, reminding herself that she just got her dancing vibe back, but a dance battle with a blue haired stranger? Well, Dare dyed her hair pink, so why should it even matter? She shrugged off her worries for a bit. "You seemed to have picked the right person, but are you sure you want to challenge me?" Luce asked him, hiding her shocked expression. He nodded slowly, while Luce breathed deeply before speaking again. "Okay, then. You have five minutes to get ready."

Right after she told him to prepare for the battle, the two girls took both her arms and yanked her away from the blue haired man, taking her to Angel and Mo. When she tried to ask why they were dragging her, they won't respond. Luce knows that they aren't pissed, much to her relief, but she hated being ignored at times like this.

"You guys, don't be so harsh!" Luce told them, but they just took her so she that her friends are surrounding her. What has she gotten herself into? Right when she was finished rubbing her forearms from her friends' grip, Mo walked around her, cracking his knuckles. Her eyes widen when he did that, fearing that he will use violence if something bad happens, yet she can't see his eyes narrowing due to the fact that his eyes are covered by his hoodie. Since he's her "brother", he wouldn't do that in front of her.

"Luce, are you really going to take that dude's challenge? Are you even ready to battle someone right now?" the African-American dancer asked while her massaging her shoulders to release the tenseness from the last dance plus the sudden moment. Luce nodded and lowered her eyes back to normal, her face looking determined, yet calm. She thought, 'What the hey?' so maybe one dance battle might not be so bad. Angel smiled coolly, giving her a bottle of water, and she took it with no hesitation.

"I want my mom to see what her dancing has taught me," Luce said before taking a sip of the bottle. "Even though I just got back my confidence in dancing, I want to at least have one battle to see if my skills have gotten better, just for tonight." Emilia and Mo looked at her with utter surprise, as for Dare and Angel, they frowned with sympathy. It reminded them of Luce's mother's death, and it brought their memory back of the funeral. Many people attended, and Luce would cry in Angel's embrace, while the others would pat her back or hug her very softly. Like a deceased musician like Michael Jackson, the funeral would broadcast live and Luce's mother would make tons of money because of her death, which would go directly to those who are a part of her family: Mr. Valentine, Luce's father, Luce herself, and Derek, her older brother.

"Diamond..." Emilia said with remorse.

"You do anything for her, despite what happened to her?" Dare asked her cautiously, biting her lip just in case her friend might fire back at her. Luce, who was okay from that response, nodded once more, starting to head back to the dance floor. Before she could, Angel turned her around and placed a hand her shoulder.

Luce looked shocked from his action, but after all, she's been friends with him since they were five, and yet, he's the flirtatious one in the group. She revealed a small smile, placing her hand on his. "Good luck, Luce," he told her kindly. "Even if you lose, just remember that you've had fun."

"Thanks, Angel," she replied. Heading back to where the biker is standing, she smiled at him sweetly, but carefully. "You ready?"

"I am, but the question is: Are you?" he said to her. He was mysterious alright; now in her opinion, she felt that he was trying to confuse her. In her state of mind, it was like she's seeing her reflection. Trying her best to hide her reactions, she nodded carefully. She looked at the DJ with a grin.

"MacCoy! Give us a hot track!" With a quick wink and grin, MacCoy pressed next on the remote to the stereo system. The beat was fast, but it is able to dance to. Luce recognized the song in an instant, smiling as a result. When she looked at her opponent, he smiled what seems mysteriously. Luce parted her lips to gasp quietly, trying to figure out what tricks he had on his sleeve. Before the lyrics came in, they prepared themselves to the choreography.

_Are you watching, Mom? I'll show anyone what you give upon me,_ Luce thought before dancing with the bluenette._  
_

"Satisfaction" was the song of choice, and that was one of Luce's best songs to dance to. The beat and the way it sounds is just wonderful to her ears. Her favorite music includes any type of rock, hip-hop, and dub-step, but she has an open mind for other music like the song that's playing and the previous one. The song may have been at least a decade old, but it's still recognizable today for its sound and monotone, yet fitting voices included.

At the moment they did the move "Overload," that's when freestyle comes in. It was anyone's game, yes, but freestyle is usually where the true winner will come in, depending on the person's swag or dance moves. Luce tried her best to outrun her opponent with one of her best moves, but he's not going to give in that easily. There are scorers that will reveal the final answer, which made Luce a bit nervous, so no matter how loud the applause will be, it won't result the winner. When she thought of Angel's words, however, it got her pumped like an energy drink.

"Electric" was the next move, and Luce was right, he's like her reflection, taking in every move and doing it perfectly like her. Tension came back to her like a memory and she tried to ignore it, but she ended up almost tiring herself before the finishing move. The scorers gave the two dancers a flawless on that move, which gave them more points to their scores. When the song ended, everyone applauded, whistles everywhere and shout outs to those who competed against each other. Just to relax, Luce sat down on the floor just to ease herself. She smiled when she saw Dare and Emilia giving her awesome comments, which brought her into exhaling calmly. In her opinion, this would have to be the most tempting battle she's ever faced in her dance career.

Angel and Mo went to those who scored up the results of the battle. While heading there, they heard bickering and arguing, which isn't good for resulting a winner. "You know that Luce is the best dancer in that battle! Why are you saying the opposite?" one of them said with a glare, slightly gripping the clipboard with his long fingers.

"Dude, she's just an average dancer; besides, compare her to Usher and Britney Spears! They can beat her if they wanted to! I think the biker wins this one! His freestyle was slicker and stronger than Luce's!" The two males didn't want a riot between the judges to happen, so one of them stepped up, trying to get their attention.

"Uh, guys-" Mo said to the bickering men, but they didn't listen.

"Let's just announce the winner, already. I mean, come on, the winner was ahead by at least one _hundred_ points," the previous scorer told the other. He rolled his eyes and got up to the microphone, getting everyone's attention. "Here is the battle result, everyone!" Everyone at the club laid their eyes on the judges, waiting. Luce raised her head a bit, looking forward to the result. As for the biker, he remained calm, yet he seems a little anxious of who won. Emilia and Dare crossed their fingers, while Angel and Mo waited patiently for Luce's name to call out. "Just by only one hundred points, the winner is the biker guy!" Everyone was silent like the night, but they didn't know what to say or do. They just started to applaud, impressed with the show, despite whoever took the prize.

"_Fantastico!_" Angel said._  
_

"Awesome!" Mo replied with the Hispanic's comment. "Wait, what?!" they replied together. They took the clipboard from the scorers and looked at the results carefully. It was a hundred points apart, and it was a close battle, too. Mo looked like he was about to break it in half, while Angel looked at Luce's surprised expression, his eyes softening.

_You did your best Luce, right?_

The blue haired man looked at Luce calmly, so that he wouldn't be acting like a sore winner. By the looks of it, he would never do that to anyone he competes with. He held out his hand to her with a small, but promising smile. "You did well. I never expect someone like you to have the same skill as me," his deep, yet soft voice picked up through the other people talking, moving on to dancing, or whatever else they want to do. Luce blinked twice, trying her best not to blush from his compliment. She didn't even regret losing... in fact, she was really impressed on what he did, especially in freestyle. With no negativity, she took his hand as he helped her up.

"Funny," Luce said with a satisfied smile, chuckling before continuing, "you remind of the saying: 'Don't judge the book by its cover.' That was impressive of you." On the inside, she would cringe when she said something that she felt would insult a person, because he's not like any of the other dancers and she didn't want to embarrass or anger him. Luckily, he was neither of them.

"I'm glad you think that," he replied. He would like to chat a bit longer with her, but his will felt that he has to leave right now. "I can't stay much longer, but maybe... we will meet again." As soon as he got on his motorcycle, he put on his helmet and started the engine, which made everyone in his way move aside so they won't get run over, and resulted in a couple of people opening the two front doors in order for him not to crash. Luce's brain clicked, and she hurried in order to stand beside him, because she wants to know one more thing before he leaves. Her smile faded when she ran to him, hoping she wouldn't be too eager for her answer.

"I need to ask you something," she said urgently. "Would you mind telling me your name?" Despite wearing a helmet, he smiled like what an angel from the underworld would do. He looked at her brown eyes with his blue ones, later looking back at outside where the night showed its timing.

"It's Oblio," he told her through the excessive, loud talking of people in the club, and headed off at instant speed. She smiled, the name so different from the ones she's heard of from then till now. She heard her name and nickname being called out, so she turned her head to see the four walking up to her. Angel gave her a quick hug while she accepted it with a bigger smile.

"You did well, Luce," he said sweetly.

"You totally should have won, Luce!" Mo said pouting slightly. "That dude must have had a cheat code or something." Luce left the Hispanic's embrace and looked at Mo with a grin.

"It's okay, Mo. I'll get him next time," she replied.

"A hundred points!" Emilia said, placing her left knuckle to her other hand. "You were so close, girl! Maybe we should study his moves and we can beat him together, how about that?" Luce nodded, and looked at Dare afterwards, since she has not said a word yet.

"Don't you have something to say, Dare?" she asked her curiously. A grin escaped the pink haired's lips, which can only mean one thing.

"Party at my house!" she said with her British accent. "We'll be party-rocking until we can't feel our bodies!" She slightly blushed from saying that, everyone looking at her with bad thoughts of that phrase. "Or we can just relax and have drinks," she later added, realizing that Luce danced the hell out of herself. The rest agreed with shrugs and smiles, and before they left the club, Angel went to a redhead and placed his arm around her, well, tried to. She rejected and crossed her arms, while he raised his hands in defense. The other four decided to wait, since he's always trying to get to her heart ever since he met her in high school.

"Angel, you know that I don't have feelings for you," she said almost rudely. "And maybe, if Luce had made her freestyle moves much better and accurate, then she would've won." The brunette widened his eyes a bit, since she technically insulted his best friend, but Luce shrugged nonetheless, since she would expect that from her. However, Emilia took it seriously and clenched her fists with anger. Mo took one of her fists and stopped her, shaking his head.

"I understand, Aubrey, but I think that maybe you should head with us to Dare's place. You'll have a good time if you hang with me," he finished with a flirtatious smile.

"Sorry, but I have to do some shopping," she replied simply, leaving him with a couple other girls without a goodbye. He sighed disappointingly and head to the others. Luce smiled and winked at him friendly.

"You'll get her someday with your charm, Angel. She's just hiding the fact that she thinks your gorgeous," Luce said, comforting her childhood friend. He smiled, putting his arm around her.

"You're right, Luce. She'll want me someday," he replied as the five of them head to Angel's car in order to spend the rest of the day doing the same thing, but at a different place. When it comes to Dare's apartment, it's a great place to socialize and relax after an epic time at the club.

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**~Chapter Three coming soon...~**

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**Today's chapter includes special guest Miss Aubrey! *applause* XD I wanted to do that. At least she was being honest about Luce's score from the battle, even with her rude attitude. Man, that would be bad if Emilia really took her anger out by slapping or punching her to death. D: Violence is never the answer, girl!**

**Don't worry Angel fan girls, he and Luce aren't a couple in this. They have been friends since forever, so this is how close they are. ^_^; Speaking of that... I might add in some more Angel/Aubrey moments since he's always flirting with her, and that I find it cute and hilarious. She's more like a supporting character, since she's technically a friend of Luce, but not like Dare and Emilia. XD I would make this a romance story, but I want more of a friendship plus some humor in this. To wrap this up, the next chapter will have the gang heading to Dare's house... well, apartment, I should say.**

**And don't forget to review, follow, and favorite this! I need the drugs- I mean feedback. XD**


	3. After Party

**********This is basically a filler sort of chapter, but I wanted to give more detail on Luce and the others in this. The third chapter is coming your way right now! :)**

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**~Chapter Three: After Party~**

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Despite losing to Oblio, Luce was actually impressed with his moves. They were similar to hers, but it had much more meaning and concentration, much like a well written story. His words were powerful, but his tone sounded like a normal man. Right now, however, she is about to relax with Angel and the other three, just to spend more time with each other.

"So, what do you know about the guy besides his moves that are just like yours?" Mo asked Luce as they all got in the car.

"Well... I just found out his name is Oblio." Luce shrugged after she said his name. "I've never heard of that name before, what about y'all?" Mo gave her a quizzical expression, while Dare and Emilia shook their heads. Angel was too busy to respond to that question, but he wouldn't know that name as well.

"Wait, you guys!" MacCoy yelled before Angel started his car. Dare pulled her window down and blushed a bit without noticing but smiled. She knows what he's wanting, since she's been friends with him when she moved into the same apartment years ago.

"Hey, MacCoy, you want to party with us?" He smiled when party was in the question. Luce smiled when she encountered MacCoy outside the car, knowing about how Dare and MacCoy act when they are in the same place or whatnot.

"Count me in!" he replied, getting in the car with them. It was sudden, but MacCoy is another good friend of Luce. He doesn't dance much because of being a DJ, having to live with his grandmother in order to finish his summer job (that being the disc jockey), and finish high school with her and the others. He was thinking of moving in with either Mo or Angel, but since his grandmother is demanding, he has to stay with her until he can afford to put her in a nursing home. His parents are in Germany working, and for job reasons, that's how he ended up in Central City to live with his grandmother.

Whenever he's around Dare especially, he would feel his knees weaken a bit every time she smiles. Her British accent, her stylish clothing, and her personality drives him crazy like Angel's moves making every desperate girl fall for him or wearing a clown suit to the grocery store crazy. His point of view on the others are average, but in a good way. Emilia and him barely interact, but they are in good terms. Mo has a love for hot beats and freestyle dancing just like him, and for Angel, they know which piece of clothing will look good on anyone or anything.

When the car ride is over, the real fun begins. Dare's house is basically a condominium, but it's big enough to have a house party and whatnot. As soon as all the six teens head to the front door, the doorman was asleep, which shouldn't even happen in case something bad like a thief would sneak in and make a scene. Heading to the elevator, Dare pressed the seventh floor button, and the rest waited until they are at her home. With the sound of the elevator stopping, grins were appearing on their faces. Once it opened they walked in to see a rather luxurious living room with a flat screen television, a couch that is around ten to twenty feet long, and more to list, but the most beautiful was the view of the huge, yet captivating city with a wide window just like what a hotel room would include.

"All right, guys!" Dare called out. "Let's have the music running while I get some drinks!" Dare went to the kitchen, while Angel and Emilia went to get Dare's boombox, while Mo, Luce, and MacCoy sat down at the minibar.

"Hey, guys, do you know who's going to be in your duo group?" MacCoy asked while waiting for their drinks served to them. Luce shrugged, herself not knowing. Even if she's friends with the five, they don't match her dance style equally. Emilia's uses a lot of energy, since she hits the gym everyday. Angel's is smooth and slick, which compared to Luce's is rather difficult for him to catch up to. Dare and MacCoy both have the same style, in which she can see when she watches them dance separately. Mo's type of dance is close, but something feels that he's just not the right dance partner. He _could_ be, but it's different by the tempo the preferred genre of the dancing requires.

"Luce and I are almost the same, but I need to look at some more dancers before I can find the right person," Mo added. He smiled at Luce after he turned his head to her. "Before the crew throwdown begins, do you want to audition teens to see if they have my potential?"

"Sure Mo," she replied happily. "That sounds like fun to see what they will show off." She blinked with her mouth opening a bit and turned her head. It got her thinking that maybe Oblio might be the dancer that she is looking for, since he danced _exactly_ like her. It may have been one song, but she felt that he has the same style. For the competition, the crew throwdown will happen when Dance Central Intelligence announces the competition whenever they're prepared. Like Emilia, she's a sucker for competitions from them.

Music started to play, meaning that Angel and Emilia have found Dare's boombox. Unfortunately, dancing's already been done with in the club they were at, but that doesn't mean that they can't socialize. Luce signaled Emilia to sit with her at the minibar, while Mo, MacCoy, and Angel went to find Dare since she hadn't return their drinks yet.

"You've found your crew member, Emilia?" Luce asked as the energetic girl sat beside her. Oddly, she really wants to talk about it so she can get more details. "It seems that's the subject of tonight's conversation."

"You bet, Diamond! You remember Bodie, right?" she asked. Luce grinned, nodding.

"Isn't he still having that surf competition down at the beach?"

"Yep, but he said he can make it before the announcement. I heard that if he wins his competition, he'll have enough money to buy a beach house, where we can have our dance location." Luce smiled at her best friend, glad to know that she has a partner. Luce knew Bodie, but not as much as Emilia. He's the type of person to not be hateful like a pacifist. He's really good at heart and would be the best type of gentleman anyone can even meet. To put it simply, he's like a teddy bear. "So what about you?" Emilia asked.

Luce brushed her bangs away from her glasses, later shrugging like she answered to MacCoy. "Honestly, I think I found him, but I need to see him dance more so I can make sure he's the one."

"Sounds like someone's in love," Emilia teased, nudging her elbow at Luce's arm. The brunette gave her a weird look, giving her friend a small push.

"We just met him, Emilia!" she spoke while feeling her face heat up. "It's not like Romeo and Juliet or anything like that!" The sporty teen laughed, patting her on the back so Luce won't get upset. "Sure he's attractive," Luce added nonchalantly, "but I don't want a boyfriend, especially after what happened during freshmen year." With that being said, when she was in high school, a lot of people were dating. Some even lost their virginity and ended up pregnant, which made her nervous in the romance category. Just as long as she has friends, then she has her happiness.

To their right, they noticed that the guys came back, but with Dare who looked bizarre and eyes red, who is laughing. Their faces looked disturbed, but they helped the pink haired woman despite that. Luce bit her lip while Emilia covered her mouth. "Is she...?" Emilia trailed off, not wanting to finish the sentence. Angel and Mo nodded, while the blond looked kind of worried. That would mean no drinks until they get her settled. She turned eighteen in February, but since then, she seems to always forget that the drinking age in America is twenty-one instead.

"Don't worry guys, I thought... I thought we... we have coke, but... but it was beer! So... ye-yeah..." Dare laughed and rolled her head back. She remained silent with her eyes close, meaning that she is blacked out.

"Where are her parents?" Luce asked right after Mo and Angel escorted Dare to her room for a proper rest.

"In Japan for a business trip," MacCoy replied, frowning when seeing Dare curled up on her bed, in the process of the drunkenness taking over her. "Remind me to tell Dare that she is in America and not in England anymore," he added with a bit of displeasure. He does have feelings for her, but seeing her drunk is just creepy, yet hilarious at the same time. Whenever it happens to her, she would say the most perverted things that anyone couldn't handle, even someone who is a gentleman or a classy lady. The blond's phone started to ring, and he answered. "Hello? Grandma, I- I'm at Dare's- Yes, ma'am. I'll be there!"

He sighed, hanging up his phone and pointing at the elevator with his thumb. "I have to go; Grandma being worried and... old lady stuff so... Bye!" Just like that, MacCoy left. Luce tried to catch up to him, since he doesn't have a ride, but then realized that he lives on the eighth floor. As soon as he was out of sight, Luce giggled when she thought of something from the past.

"What?" Emilia asked, raising an eyebrow. Luce smiled and stood up from the minibar.

"It brought back the time when we tried to call him for help in German class, but in his voice mail, it was interrupted with his grandmother rambling on about something." Emilia chuckled, nodding in agreement.

"Let's get the drinks; I'm so thirsty." They headed to get some canned drinks so that the other guys don't have to make a second trip. While looking at the fridge, they noticed that there were a few beer cans left, but the problem is that they are stronger than regular beer. Luckily, they found cans of ice tea, so they took enough for them and head back to them. Mo and Angel were sitting on the couch watching something from MTV, which at the good timing, it was a music video playing and not _Teen Mom_ or _Jersey Shore_ crap.

Emilia went to them while Luce looked to see if there was anything to snack on. Sadly there's not, but a drink is satisfying. She smiled and closed her eyes for a second, heading to the couch with the other three, laying her head on Angel's lap.

"So... we watching a movie because there's no gym here?" Emilia said, placing her feet on the coffee table. Yawning, Luce nodded.

"Yeah; she has Netflix so pick whatever movie you want to watch." She later looked at her phone, showing that it's already midnight, but maybe she could hang on until the movie is over. Out of her friends, she's the first to go to sleep. Through Netflix, they found the movie _Footloose (2011 version)_. Luce personally is not crazy about movies, but _Footloose_ is her all time favorite because it involves two things she likes: music and dancing. Both versions are good, music in her opinion, is better in the 1984 version, but the story and characters in the latest version are better developed.

As much as she loves that movie, she can't help falling asleep in the middle of the scene where the main characters are dancing during their law-forbidden prom. She lays there on Mo's shoulder, while Emilia and he looked like they are about to fall asleep. Angel's usually a night owl, so he has no problem helping them get settled. He first went to his best friend, picking her up and placing her in a guest bedroom beside Dare's. When he put her down, he took off her glasses so it wouldn't be crushed whenever she sleeps on her stomach, which happens sometimes. He later gave Luce his jacket to keep her warm until morning.

"_Buenos noches_, Luce," Angel said with a smile, heading back to watch the rest of the movie with the other two.

As morning came by, Luce grumbled quietly as she reached out her hand to find her glasses, noticing she's not wearing them. Being an early bird is the one thing that she hates about herself. Before she continued, she opened her brown eyes, noticing she's on a bed with a coat wrapped around her upper body. She chuckled, knowing that her friends would always make her sleep on a bed rather than be having to wake up on an uncomfortable chair, couch or anything else. "Thanks, Angel," Luce muttered. She sat up and looked to see that her glasses are on the nightstand, despite being nearsighted. Taking off Angel's jacket, she held onto it until she found a place for him to pick it up.

She put them on and went out of the guest room, seeing that the others are not on the couch, meaning that they are in different places to sleep in. She smiled, because she was going to do something that would worried them, but it's for their sake. It's not illegal, thankfully, but she wanted to walk home so that her father or bodyguard wouldn't know of her sudden disappearance. Luce was glad that she has a kind and sociable bodyguard, but she would only guard her almost all day, which was how she sneaked off last night. Patting her pink jean jacket pocket to see if her phone and wallet's there, she sighed out of relief and quietly head off to the elevator.

She pressed the down button, waiting for it to open. For a few seconds, she waited and it opened. She started to head in there, ready to get home before anyone notices. However, she's not really the stealthy type of person, so it was barely possible for her to escape unless she's invisible.

"I'll take you home, Luce," Angel said with his kind smile, putting on his jacket that Luce left on the couch. Luce stopped, looking at the Hispanic. Her dyed black hair went over her shoulders when she turned to see her friend. Angel was too smart for her motives, even if he's not in the same building as her.

"What about Mo and Emilia?" she asked, trying to not to make their conversation longer.

"They know their way. Besides, it's a long walk for you from over there," he replied, looking at her house from the view of Dare's condominium. It looked far, but it would only be ten minutes by a car ride. His smile faded, figuring out what occurred yesterday, and of what is today. He looked at her from the window before turning himself to face her. "Did you sneak out again? For this day?" Luce gulped, trying to pretend she didn't hear that question. When she noticed his brown eyes on her, she has no choice whatsoever. She nodded, looking away from the Hispanic. He came up to her and placed a hand on her shoulder, giving her a cautious look. "I know that deep inside, your father worries about you everyday at work or wherever he is. He would do anything to protect you, wouldn't he? That's why you have your bodyguard Claire."

She nodded again, trying to stop herself from crying. Angel went up to her and placed her head on his shoulder, comforting her while rubbing her back. "It's been a year now," Luce whispered, trying to speak a bit quieter so she wouldn't wake up Mo and Emilia. "Claire is there for me, which I'm grateful for." Her shoulders started to shake as she spoke, but she isn't crying. "It's not the same though, without my brother and mother. Would my dad even talk to me at all today?" Angel looked at his friend, thinking for a bit. He even knew that Luce hadn't been comforted by her family since the death of her mother, and it made him pity her, along with feeling a bit of hatred of her father for not being there to help her at the times needed.

Angel placed his hands on Luce's shoulders, smiling so she won't have her mood darkened. Luce looked at his brown eyes carefully, while doing her best to fight back the tears.

"Let's go. I'll let them know where you've headed."

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**~Chapter Four coming soon...~**

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******If you like _Teen Mom_ or _Jersey Shore_, then I hope I wasn't being too offensive by calling it crap, it's just my personal opinion.**

******Poor Dare with her future hangover... :( If MacCoy was still around, he might wake her up with a kiss. ;) I think that MacCoy in canon does have feelings for Dare, since in the end credits of Dance Central 3, he blushed when Dare's arm was around him.**

******As for Luce heading back to her house, I wonder how she's going to handle it. If you read her profile if you've gotten the chance to, she's not a stay-at-home person. :P**

**^_^ Review or Dare will be upset with the result of her hangover. **


	4. A Year Later

**A/N: By the looks of the chapter title, I am letting you know this is NOT a year later in the timeline of this story. XD It refers to Luce's one year anniversary of her mother's death. This chapter will be the saddest in this story, but there are some chapters that will or might have sad moments as well.**

**Guest: Don't worry. :) I have a reason to put Glitch in the characters category; he won't appear until a couple of chapters later because of this one and the other one chapter continuing after this one. He's one of the main characters in this story, so you'll get your wish soon, and he'll appear in more than one chapter. ;)**

**DCFan4ever: Thanks for those reviews you left out; I feel so giddy right now~! ^_^**

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**~Chapter Four: A Year Later~**

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Luce and Angel just left the condominium to head to his car and went off to her house. Due to having to mourn for her mother's death now, and possibly later, Luce chose not to speak unless Angel starts a conversation. When they are in downtown, Luce noticed that people are holding roses, scrapbooks, and seeing many young adults and teenage girls dressing up as her mother, or wearing her shirts.

She didn't want to lose it now. She didn't want anyone to see her cry just because they were honoring a tribute to her mother. Angel stopped at a red light and looked at those who were walking where he just drove by. He noticed that Luce was covering her face, so he patted her back for comfort. "Are you going there today?" he asked politely, just before he revved up the engine and head off at street legal speed. He asked her that so that he can know, not to make the mood worsen.

"I want to, but not with _them_ around," Luce replied almost coldly, mentioning the fans. She is glad that her mother still has them, but she doesn't want fans to come up to her and feel sorry for her. It would make her feel guilty and have so much pity. Seeing them showing sympathy will make her feel that she was responsible for her death, and she didn't want that.

"I see," Angel said simply. He knew Luce's mother, and she liked him very much. When Luce and Angel were around fifteen, she would tease them that they should date. However, Luce didn't care for dating, and Angel is a heart breaker for teenage girls who do have feelings for him. Angel offered that they could try to date, but Luce didn't want to ruin their friendship, and he was cool with that.

For Luce's mother, her death being cleared away would be the best thing to do. While she was going shopping for her daughter, getting good grades in high school as the result, she noticed that someone was trying to stalk her. She ran in order to call the police and report it, but the call cut off thanks to the murderer and later, she took two bullets. For a few days, she went missing, making Luce and her brother and father frantic. A couple of days have passed and they found the body near the mall she was shopping in, where she was clutching her shopping bags, lying on the ground: dead.

The suspect whose house was close by committed suicide because of the guilt of killing a famous dancer/actress, and the thought of what would happen if he lived on with the punishment in prison or worse. His body was later checked for an autopsy, and alcohol and drugs were the result of why he did the darkest of people. Because of what happened, Luce's brother stayed in New York for his college education, never calling his father or sister, and not spending any holidays or birthdays with them.

Luce's father couldn't even look at his own daughter for a few months. He hired a bodyguard who will keep her safe and protect her from danger, but that isn't a father's love at _all_. He would overwork at his job that is being a producer and sometimes a writer in movies. That was how he and Luce's mother met: working on a movie together. He fell in love with her acting, and later started dating her after being close to her. No one knew of their relationship, but when she was pregnant with Luce's brother, that's when they decided to marry. Three years later, they had Luce, and she would be like a second life to her mother.

She would want to do everything her mother did, and she fell in love with _all_ of it. Luce wanted to dance until she can't dance no more. That would be a lot of decades, but she still has time. She will show DCI what her mother's skills inspired her to do. She will be her successor.

"We're here, Luce," Angel told her gently. Luce looked up and her house is in sight. Pressure ran through her veins and her heart started to beat out of her chest. She looked at him worriedly, since she wouldn't know what to say. She has sneaked out of her house before, but never has she spend the night without permission. The Hispanic smiled at her reassuringly. "I'll tell him everything, Luce. Your dad yelled at me before, so I'm ready for it."

Fully aware of his words, she got out and along with Angel, headed into her house, which was quiet, but then out of nowhere, a long blonde-haired who wears red lipstick, a black sleek jumpsuit, and about three inches shorter than Angel, appeared and nearly tackled the poor Hispanic to the ground, realizing who he is before putting him completely still on the ground.

"Luce, are you all right? Did Angel take you to his place in the last minute?" she asked the brunette, making sure that she doesn't have anything different about her like injuries or sometimes tattoos. Right when she cupped Luce's face, that's when she decided to answer her questions.

"I'm fine, Claire," Luce reassured her bodyguard, "and no, I was at Dare's last night, hanging out with the usual people. Angel just came to take me home, that's all." The blonde sighed in relief, smiling at Luce. She looked at Angel, who is sitting on the floor from the attempted attack she was about to cause.

"Sorry, there, Angel," she spoke out, holding out her hand, Angel himself accepting it to get him up. "Mr. Valentine has you on his list of 'Guys To Take Care Of No Matter What.'" Angel chuckled nervously, scratching his head slowly.

"I get that a lot," the Latino replied. "What Luce told you is the truth, by the way. I gave her a small but useful present that we hope will get her into a dance competition coming up so she can clear her head after her mother's death. I should have called to let you know-"

"It's the one year anniversary, isn't?!" Claire said in shock. It reminded her of it when he mentioned "mother's death". She gave Luce a caring hug, which made Luce rather displeased with her eyes showing in a bland way. "Just go on back to where you came from and I won't have to tell Mr. Valentine of last night. _Capisce_?" He nodded, waving at Luce with a smile before he went out the door. She let go of Luce and instructed her to her room.

"Claire, is he here?" Luce asked quietly. The blonde frowned, shaking her head slowly.

"I'm afraid not. I'll fix you something to snack on and you can pick out something to wear for the visit," was all she said. She closed her door, leaving Luce alone. This is what Luce hated more than anything: loneliness. Sure she has Claire downstairs, but it still feels lonesome up in her room. Luce gasped, hearing her phone vibrate. She took it out and noticed that Dare was calling her. Luce was nervous, since she had one too many last night, but since it's her friend, she touched the call button.

"Hey, Dare. What's up?" she asked calmly.

_"Hey there, Diamond. Look, I'm sorry for ruining the after party thing. You know that dancing gets me thirsty and all that." _Luce smiled, feeling thankful that her friend got out of her hangover.

"It's fine; I totally understand. Are you sure you're okay? That drinking must have driven you crazy."

_"I'm sure,"_ the pink haired British replied. _"Today, I'll make some new outfits to clear my head and be prepared for DCI's event."_

"That sounds great." Luce got a glimpse at her window, seeing a car pull up. She started to feel much more nervous than earlier. "Um... Dare, I wish I can talk longer, but I have to go. I-I have a visitor." Dare's voice tuned to a nervous tone, knowing what she meant.

_"Okay; goodbye, Diamond. I'll see you soon,"_ Dare replied. Once she hanged up, Luce hurried to pick out a black dress with silver lining, and pumps with purple and black designs. Slowly, but hurriedly, she went down to see the visitor that is at her home: her father.

She frowned, since he wouldn't pay attention to her for a year, but this time was different. He looked at her with care, but he isn't smiling as well. He went up to her and hugged her, showing the affection a father should do. Luce, shocked by the sudden action, but she missed her father's embrace. Feeling his warmth, she wrapped her arms around him. "Hey, sweetie," he said soothingly. "Please forgive me for not being the best father you've ever wanted. Derek would think the same as you, even if he's studying in New York."

Luce couldn't blame her father, not at all. He was just as sad as she was. Even though it hurts her to not hear her father's voice talking to her, too many emotions would interfere her thinking.

"It's okay. Mom wouldn't want you feeling guilty at all." He let go of his daughter, smiling a bit.

"You're right, Luce. Listen, I already have a schedule for you at the grave site. It will be just you and Claire, just how you would like it. It will start in thirty minutes, so you have to get ready." He went to the kitchen, making Luce feel confused, but she followed him.

"But what about you? Aren't you going?" she asked, stopping her tracks, seeing him a few feet away. He turned his head around and smiled again, but it was sadder than the other smile he just gave.

"I already went. As much as I want to spend the time with you today, I have to help shoot a movie in France." He went back to her and placed his hand on her head, slowly rubbing it. "I will be back home until the end of summer. Can you manage that?" Surely a teen would say yes since they get to party when their parents aren't around, but this one was different. It's for the sake of his job, but Luce just had a new conversation with her dad; she just had a fresh start with her parent.

"I guess. What if Angel or the others want to come over or want me to hang out with them?" He frowned slightly, hearing her best friend's name being called out.

"I don't mind Angel at least a bit, but the others, they're fine with me. However, as long as you tell Claire where you're going, that will be okay. Just call her if you need backup." He gave her one last embrace before heading to his room to pack up for two months. She went back upstairs to change into the clothes she picked out, but from her bed, she noticed that her phone received a text message. She checked and it was from Angel, which made her show a small smile.

_From: Angel_

_Everything worked out okay?_

Luce text back, hoping that she's being careful since Angel knows how she is feeling, even if she tries to lie. She sighed deeply, preparing for her words being sent to her best friend.

_To: Angel_

_Pretty much, yeah. I have to go to my mom's grave site in a few minutes. See you around sometime so that I can have some time to myself?_

She hurried to put on her dress and shoes, feeling herself shiver along the way. She went to her closet to get a black jean jacket that matched her outfit, took her purse and phone, and hurried down to the kitchen to see what her bodyguard cooked. It wasn't too light or too much, just an average grilled chicken sandwich with bacon and melted white cheddar cheese. Luce smiled a bit, seeing her favorite meal from Claire coming out so great.

"I'll go get dressed while you eat up. We'll leave in five minutes," the blonde told her, leaving with a smile. Luce took out her phone when she left, noticing that Angel text back.

_From: Angel_

_I see. :( I'll be seeing you whenever you want. Text you later. :)_

Slowly eating her sandwich, Luce noticed that the sky was turning gray, matching the mood of what will become Luce's again. Hearing heels clicking, that means that Claire is ready to go. Luce took her sandwich and put in the fridge, saving it for later. Heading to her bodyguard's Ferrari, she noticed that thunder greeted her. Nonetheless, she got in with her and they head off to her mother's resting place.

It was silent between the two, but for a good reason. Luce wished that her friends would come with her, so that she won't face the pain of seeing her mother's casket again. Raindrops were splattering the windows, leaving a drenched car swiped off with the windshield wipers urgently. Claire turned the lights on, due to state law and to make it easier to see the way to their destination.

Riding in the car with thunder and rain made Luce thought of so many memories. On her last day of high school, it would be the same just like now, but since it was a couple of weeks ago, it wasn't too special. Going with her mom to eat at a fancy restaurant was one memory that was refreshing, despite having inclement weather. For doing her best at school, her mother would take her there and let her have anything on the menu, except for wine and anything that she doesn't like. Sadly, that was last year, her junior year.

Making it to the cemetery, Claire made sure there was an umbrella before heading outside in the frigid rain. There were a couple in the trunk, and she hurried and gave one to Luce, and together, they walked to the grave where many roses and photos of her mother are left in the rain shown as a memoir. Luce felt tears coming down, so she used her free hand to wipe them. Claire noticed and placed a hand on her shoulder, patting on it for Luce's comfort.

Looking at her mom's dates of birth and death, she noticed something. Her birthday was six months right after Luce's, and her death date was a month right after Luce's birth month. Luce would do anything to bring her mother back to life, but life doesn't work like that in any way possible. "She was a great woman, Luce. It would be an honor for me to meet her," Claire said, breaking the silence. Luce just nodded and sighed, closing her eyes for a second.

Despite wanting to dance because her mother does, would she dance for her own reasons? Just for being famous, or only for fun? She told Angel and the others that she was taking a "break" from dancing ever since her mother died. When she did that, she became distant from them, and would eventually skip out on meals for days and not talk to anyone, even receiving text messages and not replying.

Around a couple of months after her mother's death, Angel, Mo, Emilia, and Dare went to her house at once and helped her get back to dancing with the help of her favorite songs. When she got back to it, she almost forgot about her moves, so she had to either start over with a new choreography, or just listen to the song and try to remember what the moves were. Luce never felt so blessed to have friends who are caring and willing to do anything for her.

"That's why you came here. You're related to her, aren't you?" someone with a deep voice asked. Luce gasp in shock, surprised that the one who questioned her knew Luce like a book. She opened her eyes when she heard that voice, seeing her mother's tombstone and casket. When she turned around, her eyes widen, recognizing the person just by the face, the eyes especially. Out of all people, why is that person there across from her? It was either pure knowledge, or she is noticeable in any shape or form.

"It's you..." she trailed off, her last tear slowly dripping off her face.

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**~Chapter Five coming soon...~**

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******Well, well, well... Looks like we have a cliffhanger here! Despite this being a sad chapter, there are some parts I think are worth putting in. The next chapter will be much less depressing than this one was. I have to play piano music and "Far From Home" by Five Finger Death Punch in order to help get the mood of the chapter settled. :P I hope I didn't leave any tears for you... :(**

**Review! :D**


	5. Surprise Visitor

**I was going to upload this earlier, but I've been feeling sick so I had to take it easy and watch videos to make me laugh. Unfortunately, chocolate didn't work. :/ However, it looks like someone's back in the story. :D Let's take a look into the chapter to see what will happen, shall we? ^_^ *curtain rises***

**DCFan4ever: Well, you might be right if you got it. ^_^**

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**~Chapter Five: Surprise Visitor~**

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Luce encountered the man she knew before. Right after she murmured a couple of words, Claire turned around as well. Her hazel eyes observed carefully on that person, just to make sure he wasn't trouble. The brunette never knew that Oblio would know that she's related to her dead mother. Did he came to them for a reason, or was it just a drive by?

Seeing that his clear blue eyes are like a mirror, they reflected back on what happened last night, more importantly, their dance battle. No matter how the crowd commented on their same movements, or the difference between the scores they received, Luce still never regretted losing when she went back to dancing. She opened her mouth to speak, coming out with one clear word, but the others are left in the blank for her to fill in.

"Oblio..." Luce said, her face still surprised from his unexpected visit. The bluenette's eyes were full of concern, but at the same time, they looked normal. "How did you...?" He smiled lightly, coming up to stand beside her to see the grave site Luce and Claire are looking at.

"I've noticed you from afar," he told her simply. His blue eyes focused on her mother's tombstone, analyzing the dates slowly. "I don't really watch television, but your mother has written poetry. I have some of it written in my notebook back at my place; I'm actually quite fond of her work as well." Claire felt that he knew too much, so she went to him, her hazel eyes glaring at him, fists crackling, but not too loudly.

Luce blinked when he mentioned poetry. Her mother was a dancer and an actress, but never in her life she heard of her mother writing anything like that. Not that Luce wasn't into poetry, she just didn't expect her mother to do something that is literature related. Maybe it was an interest that was a guilty pleasure, or just for fun and wanted it to be a hobby for her free time?

Claire went up to the bluenette and stand across from him, getting her fists ready whenever required.

"You better be careful of what you're saying now, young man," she told him coldly. "Don't mention Mrs. Valentine too much in front of-"

"Claire, it's okay," Luce interrupted, her eyes telling her that it is. Her bodyguard looked at her brown eyes, seeing that it really is okay. She sighed, heading to the car with a wave. She pushed up her sunglasses with a sly, but rather small grin.

"I'll be waiting. When you're done talking to him, we're heading off." With that over with, it was just Luce and Oblio. Looking at him carefully while he was looking at her mother's tombstone, she just noticed that he has no umbrella to shield him from the cold rain. She lifted up the umbrella a bit. His height was just perfect for him, it felt like it would be impossible to reach it so that it would be under him.

"I don't want you to get wet. Please, you should take my umbrella." Oblio looked at her, his head slightly moving to his right, respecting her offer, but he lowered her umbrella down by putting his wet hand on hers, making sure that the rain doesn't get to her. Luce parted her lips slowly in surprise. Why did he do that?

"Don't worry about me," Oblio said calmly, looking back at Luce's mother's gravestone. "Rain doesn't bother me that much, it's actually quite soothing." Luce would refuse his response, but his voice made it so honest and noble, she accepted it with no problem. Later on, it was quiet, only the rain above making noise. She can tell that Oblio is the silent, solitaire type, but she would like to know more of him and his reason of dancing. She also would like to know if he would be her crew partner, especially the way he shredded the dance floor when they battled each other. Thinking about asking him would make her feel shy, especially since he's a guy.

But what should she say exactly? Something about him wants to draw her near, but at the same time, she wants him to keep his distance so that he would be okay with it. She hates butting into people's business, but she wants to open up to people, especially for her mother.

"Hey, Oblio?" she asked, looking up at him. She noticed that unlike herself, he was nearly drenched, his blue hair completely down, it was lucky enough that his long bang was still there. Looking at his hair, she realized that the dye was permanent, never seeing his true roots. She felt relieved that he has a jacket that is protective by the looks of it, however. _You might catch a cold... How pity of you,_ Luce thought before he turned his attention to her.

"Hm?" he replied, looking down at her brown eyes, her glasses aiding them. Just for now, she wants to know why he dances. Maybe later, hopefully later, she'll ask him when the time is right.

"What got you into dancing?" Oblio looked away, smiling at that question. The rain stopped as well, making it coincidental like if the whole place wanted to know why he dances. Just as the droplets of rain ended, Luce adjusted her umbrella, finishing it off with pulling the handle down, making it small enough for her hands to hide it.

"Dancing... is my destiny," he replied. "I'm deeply interested in the arts, like paintings of famous artists and literature. Dance, however, is the purest art form. I do that more often because it can express emotions very accurately... and it's accomplishing. Even if I made a wrong step, it's not great, but I must strive for it to re-do it in order to gain perfection."

Luce felt touched (in a normal way) by what dance is to him. He's so mysterious, Luce has to dig more information on him. She feels that he is not like any other dancers she's met or heard of. "One more thing: why did you do that crazy stunt in the middle of the dance floor last night?" Luce didn't want to get him to feel mixed on that question, but he didn't mind.

"Honestly, I wanted to try something new. I don't trust my bike being outside that much, so I had to find a good building that would help me get at least in the club. Sorry that I almost landed on you." Luce attempted to chuckle at his apology, but he wasn't the type of guy to joke around sometimes unlike Mo, but in a good way. She didn't want him to think that she was being silly just because of that incident.

"It's okay. Um... my bodyguard is waiting for me, I really want to get to know you more, but I have to leave," she told him, smiling at him before turning her head to the Ferrari. Unlike the last time they encountered, it's her turn to leave the place. The bodyguard looked so sly, especially with her devious smile showing, she could be thinking of anything that happened in Luce's and Oblio's conversation. Before opening the car door, she could have sworn that she heard Claire giggling like a school girl, despite almost being thirty. Just thinking about it too much wants to make Luce slap herself silly just to see that it's either phasing her and just being strange.

"So who is he? Your boyfriend?" Luce sighed disappointingly when she heard boyfriend in the question. It was the second time she's been in the "boyfriend" situation. One: she just met him last night, and two: does he have a girlfriend, or is he staying off of a relationship until the time is right? Besides, she doesn't know if she's even ready to even have a boyfriend. She has trust issues when it comes to guys she is unfamiliar with, but when she met Oblio, she can tell that he's not the person to date anyone, just by how he is. Luce shook her head, taking one last look at Oblio, but he disappeared from where she was at.

_Funny, it wasn't like last time,_ Luce thought, buckling her seat belt and checking the time on her phone.

Hearing a motorcycle engine, she turned her head to locate the sound, and it was at the driveway to the car's right. Luce got a chance to get a glimpse at him, before he headed off with fantastic speed. Seeing it in real action was like a front row seat in a movie theater. It was extravagant, seeing a stunt in real life was more impressive than one needed for a scene in a thriller or action movie. What is he exactly, besides a dancer and a motorcyclist?

"Well then, want do you want to do for the rest of today?" Claire asked Luce, who just went back to reality for after thinking of that thrilling stunt Oblio did, even though his motorcycle is his needed transportation vehicle. Luce looked at Claire with a small smile.

"Can you take me to Emilia's house? We have something planned for tomorrow and we need to check over just in case anything in the way is occurring. It will only take an hour, so no pressure." The blonde smiled and nodded, since she liked Emilia. She drove off, heading to Emilia's place. Other than Mo and Angel, Emilia is positive and bright, pretty much like her blood type. They both have Italian descendants, although Emilia has Sicilian in her to be fair, so they can talk about Italy and sometimes speak in Italian.

Something about Dare makes Claire a bit nervous, since she heard that she drinks underage, but that was when she wasn't a full American citizen. She likes her average glass of wine, but she never drinks too much for the sake of her sensitive stomach. Fifty percent she would be okay around the pink haired girl, but the other fifty is when anyone should get the hell way from her.

For right now, she has to look out for Oblio, since he's new in Luce's point of view. Her first impression was of course being cautious since it was the one year anniversary of Luce's mother's death, added to the fact that he knows of her, because if someone talks about her too much, then she has to threaten them so that Luce would not be sad. A sneaky smile will escape her lips every time she sees Luce talking or whatever else she's doing with Oblio in the future, figuring something out.

That's all over for today, so hopefully Luce won't receive too much embarrassment. From the cemetery to Emilia's house, it was only a ten minute ride. Surely from her house to the grave site was a bit longer, but at least the next destination was a bit faster to head at. Claire parked her car at the driveway, giving Luce the key to head inside to she if anyone's home. Once she knocked on Emilia's door and she appeared, Luce gave her bodyguard a nod so that she can come in.

"Did you make it at home okay, Diamond?" Emilia asked, herself revealed in knee-high socks, one piece swimsuit, and a jacket.

"Pretty much," Luce replied, shrugging. "Is that your crew outfit?" Emilia grinned and nodded. "You work fast. So what's the crew's name?" Luce asked.

"Bodie and I are still figuring that out, cause after that, we'll have the symbol stitched on wherever we wanted it located. We both know that it's sports and beach related, and that our main colors are gonna be red, white, and black." From behind Luce, Claire went beside her and smiled when her eyes found Emilia. "Hey, Claire! Everything going good?" the sporty girl asked.

"Yes, Emilia," Claire replied. "It's good to know that Luce still has you and the others when she needs comfort." The brunette nodded again, opening the door wider.

"Come in!" Emilia said with a smile. "Bodie and I just finished with our dance routines anyway, so enjoy yourself." The two women responded to Emilia's offer, heading into her house, seeing that Bodie was in the kitchen fixing something that smelled so sweet yet spicy. The blond noticed who was inside and recognized one of them as he smiled.

"Hey, Luce! Long time, hasn't been?" he asked. Luce closed her eyes for a second and smiled while doing so.

"It has, man!" she replied eagerly, offering a high-five, which he gladly accepted it even though he was cooking. "Did you win?"

"You bet! My beach house will be ready in about a couple of weeks, so by the time DCI will hold the dance competitions, our place will be the one of the venues." The last word Luce heard made her brain click. Now that she's reminded of why she was here, she went to Emilia, where she was talking with Claire in Italian.

"Hey Emilia, do you have the date of where we all meet up to the last three man dance that DCI put up?" Emilia realized the question carefully, and hurried to her room, where a lot of sports equipment are lying down on the floor and clothes included. On her couch, she found a card similar to Luce's and went to the living room, where Claire and Luce were sitting on the couch, waiting. Emilia grinned and joined them while Bodie was holding plates of red bell peppers and sautéed chicken, passing them to the three ladies.

"So, shall we get started on what DCI has to offer for the last dance?"

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**~Chapter Six coming soon...~**

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******I wonder if "Hurricane" by 30 Seconds to Mars and "Castle of Glass" by Linkin Park were good songs to listen to in order to help me with this chapter? :P I really needed it, especially for the beginning of this chapter. XD As for Emilia's blood type, I have the same~! :D Now I need to know Oblio's, Taye's, and the debuted characters in DC2 and DC3. :P**

******I originally thought that this would be less than two thousand words, but this one holds something awesome. :D We get to see Oblio warming up to Luce a bit (yay~), and at least for Luce knowing why he takes dance seriously. I hope you're looking forward to the next chapter, because in that chapter, Luce will help Mo find his crew partner. :) And yes, we all know who that is. ;) We might even get to take a journey to the Dance Central venues in the near future as well! :D Isn't that just awesome? Okay, I'll shut up and you do the rest down there! See you~!**

******Don't forget to review, my minions! ("Despicable Me" reference~)**


	6. Finding Swag

**Now that we got the sad stuff out of the way for possibly now, here's Luce and Mo trying to find his dance partner! Some certain fan girls of the debut character will be happy to see him coming. ;) However, I have a feeling that I will get a lot of comments telling me to put him in more than when he's suppose to be in the story. Dear God, I need a shield. D: XD Here's chapter six!**

******DCFan4ever: Excited huh? Well, I know you'll love this one then. ;)**

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**~Chapter Six: Finding Swag~**

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After the major events that happened in the last couple of weeks, things have finally calmed down. With the private visiting out of the way, Luce can finally focus on dancing. It felt relieving for her friends that they can do the stuff they usually do during the summer. Right now, Luce has to look towards the future to see what's in store for her.

DCI has been expecting their dancers to pair up into crews, and apparently, only Emilia out of the gang has Bodie, since they made a promise. Angel has been trying to get Aubrey in his crew since his style is surprisingly close to hers. For Dare and MacCoy, they might be one, but due to the DJ's shyness and Dare focusing on her clothing designs, it could take them some time. Mo always felt all for it of being a dance mentor ever since he started dancing, because he would be willing to teach a young protegé the skills he's learned so he can pass it down.

In Luce's mind, she feels unsure, yet she found Oblio at the club. He was like a complete stranger, but they warmed up to each other as a way of being neutral, since they got to know each other a bit when he arrived at the small visiting. Despite wanting to ask him if he's considering being competitive and ready for DCI's competition, she has to help Mo find a "student", she would say.

As of what's happening now with Luce and Mo, they weren't even in a building or sitting down with papers or holding signs, they were just watching people to see if they were dance worthy. Mo thought that it would be good to observe teenagers that hang out on the street they are in so that he can tell if anyone is capable of dance. Since it's Central City, anything could happen, even someone dancing without music.

Plus, due to the heat, it made their watch a bit more difficult. Luce was wearing her Street Style outfit: including a gray and pink short-sleeved shirt with straps on the side where her shoulders are, making it like a summer type of shirt. Second, her black ripped jeans that has some patched but some aren't. She also has finger-less black and white stripped gloves on, and a pink beaded bracelet on her left wrist, which compliments the top part of her, and finally, dark blue high top sneakers that is noticeable due to her skinny jeans. She loved how it went, but the temperature isn't friendly to her sense of fashion.

Compared to Mo, how the hell can he wear a light blue, white, and brown jacket when it's around seventy-five to eighty degrees outside? Luce felt pity for him because of his skin tone and wearing something long-sleeved. Luce shrugged, looking at the people walking by, hoping to find Mo's protegé as soon as possible. To her guess, that's how you gotta deal with Street Style.

"It's rare to see people dancing just because they have the guts to do so," Luce jokingly said with a smile. Mo brighten up a bit, despite her sarcasm.

"On the inside, they are probably doing the Harlem Shake. That would be so funny if someone started the music and then everyone would join in." Luce giggled with a smile, pushing her glasses a bit so her vision will be clear for her. Even after his sense of humor, it just couldn't beat the heat.

"Hey, I'm going to get some ice cream, Mo," Luce told him, taking out her wallet. "What flavor do you want?" She looked at the taller man, who crossed his arms while thinking.

"I don't mind the flavor; just as long as it's cold and can cool me down." Luce nodded, heading down across the street to the ice cream stand, seeing a man who was trying to get cooled off from the air conditioner installed on the stand. If she could get free ice cream and take the fan from that guy, she would, but she's not that kind of person. When the young man noticed her heading his way, he tried to act cool like he was taking his job seriously.

"What can I get you, miss?" he asked Luce politely. The brunette looked at the menu quickly, but carefully, so that she can find her favorite flavor and what would be good for Mo. Finished, she took a five dollar bill out, giving it the man across from her.

"One chocolate mint and one rocky road on cones." The man didn't bother to tell her the price, due to having to serve ice cream now. Luce always loved anything chocolate mint related as long as she could remember. The color was creamy and colorful, and the chocolate launched in there is like medicine to fever or even after having tonsils out.

As she was watching her and Mo's ice cream being made, someone caught her eye and music swam through her ears. Scanning at the location, she noticed an Asian, Korean, to be exact, dancing to "You're A Jerk", a song that Luce is a fan of. She looked at him from head to toe, and noticed that part of his hair highlighted in yellow, matching his maroon clothing. Unfortunately, Mo's not the only one wearing a jacket, which made Luce felt concern for the Asian. What was also different is that one of his pants leg's rolled up, making it look like half shorts and pants. For some reason, she felt that today is National Wear A Jacket In Summer's Heat Day.

She blinked at the routine he's doing, and it was just impressive. The way he moved to the beat of the song shows that he has his own swag. She was so distracted, the owner of the stand snapped his fingers at Luce to get her attention. "Your ice creams are ready," he told her, feeling impatient and displeased. She rolled her eyes due to his rude statement and hurried to Mo to give him his treat.

The African-American's eyes looked surprised by her own actions, clutching his ice cream while she panted from hurrying up to him. "What up, girl?" he asked curiously. She gave him his ice cream and pointed at the dancing boy with her free hand. While looking at him, there were a few teens watching him, praising him from how he was dancing.

"I think I found your student, Mo," Luce said with a smile. She hurried with her ice cream and licked it enjoyably, feeling the freshness of the mint and chocolate. Mo looked at the dancing Asian and noticed he was dancing to one of his favorite tunes "Soulja Boy". He slowly lit up a smile while the Korean was doing "Supah Man", noticing how accurate it was to the beat. He instructed Luce to follow him, and she did, heading up with him to watch the young teen dance like a genius.

Luce looked at the Korean with a big smile, impressed that he is younger than her and Mo, yet dances like them. While licking the remaining ice cream, she noticed that the Asian was looking at her and Mo. She finished it along with the waffle cone while Mo just swallowed it whole, well almost did. When the finishing move appeared, a couple of teenage girls screamed like they won the raffle drawings. They complimented him, and he smiled at them, making them faint together.

Mo and Luce clapped at his performance, walking up to him. The dance genius took off his jacket, revealing himself in a blue plus light purple tank top. He used the jacket to wipe himself off from the dancing he just finished, and noticed the two teens heading to him with smiles on their faces. After finished wiping off, he moved his headphones to be around his neck.

"Yo, did you see my last move? I thought it was dope, but I think it would have been a bit better," he spoke up, smiling at them. Luce nodded, grinning to the fact that his voice sounded cute for his age.

"It was actually really good, man!" Mo said with enthusiasm. "Hey, you've heard of Dance Central, right?" The Asian nodded, crossing his arms. His face look worried after what he did.

"Please don't tell them that I hacked into their system in order to put extra information that they didn't add in," he said to them almost worriedly, but he cracked a smile despite that. Luce and Mo looked at each other, confused and felt that they were talking to a hacker. Luce snapped her fingers, remembering something.

"Wait, you're the one who caused glitches in the Dance Central website?" she asked, her curiosity rising.

"Yep, that's how I got my name Glitch!" the Korean said smiling at Luce with a quick wink. She blinked, never knowing that Glitch would actually flirt with her, at least and hopefully just only today.

"How old are you, little man?" Mo asked.

"I'll be fifteen in November," Glitch replied.

"Then I think you can have a slot in my crew Hi-Def! You have amazing skills, but I would like to teach you some of mine. Would you like that, Glitch?" The Korean thought about it for a second, then came to his decision with a nod. Luce smiled, happy that Mo got his crew partner. Now that Mo and Emilia got their crews organized, now it's time for her to find out if Angel got Aubrey in his crew. She took her phone out and called her best friend, waiting until he replied.

_"How's it going, Luce?" _Angel said over the phone. Luce smiled when he picked up the call.

"Mo and I found his protegé already, so do you think you can pick me up and we can head over to Aubrey's to ask her to join your crew?"

_"All right; where are you then?"_ he asked.

"We're at North Central Street, near the ice cream stop." Luce replied, not too long before she found Mo looking at her worriedly. She frowned, never knowing that he would be that way after finding his protegé. "So you'll pick me up by then, Angel?"

_"Yeah; I'll be there in a few minutes." _Once he hanged up, Luce went to Mo and Glitch, revealing a sweet smile.

"Is everything okay, Mo?"

"Are you sure you don't want me to take you there? I don't mind driving you to Aubrey's place and then come back here to teach Glitch." Luce breathed through her nose, placing her hand on his shoulder, even though his height is around six feet. She showed off her teeth with a smile, chuckling to make him feel happy.

"It's all right. You don't have to do everything for me, I'll be responsible for what I want. I'm going to meet up with you and the others at the last dance anyway." She closed her mouth, smiling still, right before Mo wrapped his arm around Luce's shoulders, giving her a short hug and smiling after leaving it. Seeing the two gave the Asian an idea, but he didn't seem to act so pleased, at least a bit.

"So are you two going out or something, because I'm sensing that you've known each other for so long?" Glitch replied with a smirk. Luce raised an eyebrow from his educated guess. Luce laughed it off and waited for Mo to answer the question.

"Actually, I have my girl named Taye," Mo told his protegé. "I believe her little sister T is in your grade level, so you probably know Flash4wrd?" Glitch nodded, understanding his new mentor's words.

"Maybe I'll get taller and I can have you someday, Luce," Glitch said to Luce, smiling at her in a flirty way. Luce laughed innocently and nervously, but made sure it wasn't in a way of being annoyed. Not that she gets younger guys flirting with her when she walks by, it's just that she prefers older guys for because they're more mature. She had a couple of admirers at her school, but she declined them since she doesn't want anything to do with the drama plus romance in school, rumors, or having to worry about looking good in front of them.

"I'll think about it, Glitch," she said playfully, but almost making it sound like she was serious. "I'll see you around, Hi-Def!" she called out Mo's crew name. She waited for her childhood friend to be at the alley of the street. From here to Angel's house, it would only take a couple of minutes, and it would be the perfect place to practice dancing in an area where no one would even interfere.

Speaking of which, he was already there in front of her, smiling from the driver's seat. Luce chuckled and smiled, getting into the passenger's seat beside him.

"I doubt she would even agree to this Luce," Angel told her, driving off to Aubrey's house after he spoke. "Even if we have the same taste and style, the Queen won't be satisfied." Luce smiled at him and patted his back for a second.

"Don't worry, Angel. I have a plan if she rejects you. It will definitively work, and she'll have to say yes so she wouldn't face my consequences." Usually when she helps Angel, it works from time to time, depending on what the subject is, but ''Miss'' Aubrey, as she goes by when she's a dancer at night, is unpredictable.

For her and Aubrey's history, it was a complicated, but rather normal relationship they have. At first, Luce can tell that she was snobby enough to not care for anyone but her money and for what her family would buy her. Luce can relate to her, since her mother was a millionaire, but Aubrey is far more rich than her. The only thing that was good about her is that she respected Luce's mother's dancing, which not only her dancing teachers made her become one, it was also Luce's mother that inspired her to become the best one ever alive.

So far, that's the only reason why Aubrey had a soft spot for her anyway... Despite saying some mixed comments about Luce, Aubrey looked up Luce's moves, but sometimes it's like she wants to copy them, kind of like plagiarizing her. But for her shallow, but honest personality, she would usually let it slide. What keeps her from being a best friend is Emilia being there first and prank calling her every chance she get. Sure they hang out sometimes, but that's when Aubrey has her nice side phases, which happens at least once or twice a month.

Once they parked around the fountain, the two friends went out of the car and went to the front door, heading up the stairs first things first. It was thirty steps of a waste, but once Luce ringed the doorbell, no later Aubrey appeared in her "Princess" outfit. It was pretty, but what bothered some people like Luce and Emilia is that she's wearing a dress, Luce would wear a skirt in dancing, but she would always wear shorts under it for safety and appropriate reasons. The pro on the dress is that it's not too short and not too long, and flips and other stuff that requires a lot of energy isn't the case for her type of dancing. The con is well... it's a dress.

"I don't mind Luce being here, but what are _you _doing here?" Aubrey referred to Angel. On the inside Luce would slap her for being rude to her friend. Since she's good at hiding her true emotions, she smiled and decided to answer her question.

"Actually, Aubrey, we're here because Angel wants you to join his crew. As much as I understand your... dislike of him, you do compliment him in a dancing way. So would you please join..." She looked at Angel for a second. "Tell her your crew name."

"Lu$h, with a dollar sign. You shall be the Queen and I am the Ace. Anything you want will be my command if you accept my offer in my crew." A few seconds of silence was later added, which can result in crickets being in their cue. After the silence broke off, Aubrey scoffed and rolled her eyes, turning her back on the two.

"No thanks," she said coldly. Luce sighed, her glare heating up a bit.

_You leave me no choice then, _she thought, stopping the door from closing, which made Aubrey look back. "Aubrey, please join his crew, or Claire and I will force you to go out on a romantic, long, and wonderful date with him." Luce frowned and removed her glare. "Trust me, you don't want to get on my bodyguard's bad side, and I don't want you to reject Angel like this. You may even beat me and the others in DCI's upcoming tournament. Angel's moves are amazing and crowd worthy."

Aubrey didn't seem pleased on the thought of being Angel's girlfriend if she rejected, but she's in the gutter, so she would either make her "perfect" life hell, or just follow what she's being offered to. "Fine. However, I choose the clothing, pick the songs, and where our dance venue will be at."

"That's good with me then," Angel said with a grin, leaving with Luce to his car. "Goodbye, _hermosa_." Luce didn't know what he just said to Aubrey, but she knew it was a compliment. As Luce headed to the car, she received a text message from Dare, which was really urgent.

"What's up?" Angel asked before leaving Aubrey's mansion. Luce read the message and realized that her day wasn't done.

"Today's the last three-man dance off. According to Emilia, Bodie couldn't make it because he has lifeguard duties tonight. Dare and Emilia are already there with MacCoy, along with Mo and his new protegé. We should head there; it's at '5th Period'." Angel nodded, and with a smile, headed off to the destination. His smile faded, realizing that it's a class, not a place.

"Hold up, Luce. At lunchtime? Isn't it almost six? If it's in a lunchroom, then which school is it?" Luce looked at Dare's message again, parting her lips in small surprise.

"Central High; our school," Luce said quietly. Not that she hated her former high school, she just didn't expect DCI to even _choose_ her school's cafeteria. The last three-man group dance off shall be interesting, to say the least.

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**~Chapter Seven coming soon...~**

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**Oh man, I can hear the Glitch fan girls come to me and say that Glitch will not date Luce. *hides from you all* Personally, I never planned to make a Glitch/OC story at all for some reason.**

**As for Glitch, he suppose to be mischievous for his age and all that I put up there. :P He's one of my favorite characters, so I'll be making sure that I'll put him up in more chapters; heck, he's one of the main characters on my story.**

**I'm looking forward to get working on the next chapter, especially what's going to happen in it. So I hope you are, and I hope to see you soon! ^_^ And if you see multiple emails if you're on my author alerts, that means I'm working on my other fanfic that is also in progress, so don't get your hopes high if you aren't aware of that fan base. Other than that, updates here are still coming soon! ^_^**

**Would you kindly review~? ;) You know you want to.**


	7. Crew Formation

**Here's a chapter that will hopefully look outstanding or whatever. :P Luce and the others shall be at their old high school, so this is possibly interesting. ^_^ Let's take a look shall we? ;)**

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**~Chapter Seven: Crew Formation~**

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Luce and Angel drove off to the place where the last three-man group will have a dance-off, marking it the time to start getting a two people crew so that crew can enter DCI's new tournament. Their high school being the last place for the event is rather strange, but the cafeteria is famous for its tables used for table dancing when the eighties was around, which you should not do today unless you're looking for trouble, but the type of dancing today is normal and appropriate. Not to mention, when the lights go off, another secret switch is on, blazing lights of neon colors will appear to get the party started. It's also the biggest school in the city, so it would garner a lot of attention for those who went to that school.

Once Angel parked at his usual spot when he was in high school, the two of them got out and went to the doorway to the lunchroom. The lights were bright and flashing, which made the party worth dancing at. As usual for the clubs, the crowd is bigger, and it was more than the ninth through twelfth grade student body. Luce looked so displease, she could leave the place right now and never come back, but at least the others are here. Well, they said they are here.

The two childhood friends carefully walked up to them without disturbing the other dancing people. So far, it's turning out exciting for Luce just like the last time she was at the club downtown.

"Hey, it's Luce! She and Angel made it!" Mo said, getting Glitch, Emilia, and Dare's attention towards him. Glitch grinned when his green eyes found Luce, which made him run to her and take her hand, which made her stare upon him in confusion, surprised by his eagerness. Angel chuckled, seeing how happy he was to see her. Luce later realized that he was giving her a bro-fist, which made the situation less awkward, but she returned it nonetheless.

"Yo, Diamond!" he said to her, letting go of her hand after the bro-fist so he can cross his arms. "Emilia and Dare called you that, so that would answer your question of how I knew your nickname. What I don't know is how you got the name. Can you explain?" Luce smiled, actually glad that someone wants to know how she got her nickname. Dare and Emilia know it, obviously, but Mo and Angel didn't seem to, since they just call her by her real name. She shrugged, getting ready to tell the guys.

"Well, it starts off with my birthstone being a diamond. I didn't really seem to care, since it's just a birthstone, but whenever I dance, when the lights would come on, that was when Dare and Emilia tell me that I shined like a diamond. Then Dare came up with calling me 'Diamond', since I would shine while dancing. I was kind of hoping it was the jewelry I was wearing, but I like my nickname." Mo and Angel looked at each other with shrugs. They do like her nickname, but they wanted to call her by her first name just to keep their masculine side.

Glitch gave her a sneaky grin, taking note of what she told him. Emilia and Dare looked at the Korean with curiosity, wondering what he's pulling up on his sleeve.

"Very interesting. How I got my nickname was similar to that, only without lights and jewelry." Right when a song was over, "I Wish For You" appeared all around, which sparked up a couple of people in the gang. Before anyone would get up on the dance floor, MacCoy would extend the intro so that anyone's routines won't come in too early or too late. Luce and Mo choreographed the song and it worked out pretty well for a Japanese song. Despite their differences in dancing, that doesn't mean they can't collaborate.

"Hey, Dare, before me, and Mo get up on the floor, I want to know: did MacCoy asked you about being in his crew, or vice-verse?" Luce asked the pink haired girl. Dare blushed, but smiled regardless.

"We ended up asking together. I never knew he would ask me."

"Aww!" Emilia said, giving a grin and lightly punching Dare on the shoulder. "Seems we have a love bug over here!" Luce giggled in happiness, winking at her.

"If it's three people tonight, who will tag along with you two?" Angel asked, moving on with a different subject, but he was happy for Dare and MacCoy of course. Mo and Luce looked at each other, but then felt slightly stupid since Glitch is with them.

"Hey, Glitch, it's your time to shine, brother!" Mo said with a grin. "I told you about this song maybe... almost a half an hour ago, but you remember the moves?"

"Yeah, man! My swag is your swag, after all," Glitch replied with a thumbs up.

"Hey, Luce, would you mind being the leader of this song?" Mo asked the brunette. She nodded, taking Hi-Def with her to the dance arena, getting ready. Right after the three of them warmed up, Luce cued MacCoy to start the music off, earning the blond a grin.

_Here we go,_ Luce thought, making sure that Mo and Glitch were behind her background dancer style. The three of them started with "Twist Snap", a move that appears four times to correspond the snaps that are heard in the song very clearly. Immediately when the chorus came in, the people watching started to cheer on how they move. The three smiled back, just before they did the "Side to Side and Hop". Glitch had a hard time with that move when Mo was teaching it to him, but he managed, so it was all good for him.

Mo looked around the crowd carefully, trying to see if his special someone was there. At times, his girlfriend would be away to spend time with her family, because she wants to keep the family close and happy. However, he found her green eyes and a smile, staring at him on how impressive his moves have become.

Luce found the other three, who were cheering them on and just being themselves. She smiled back, resuming her dancing, but something caught her vision. She hid her expression so no one would be aware, but she could have sworn she saw "him". Either he was watching her choreography come to life, or it was her glasses playing tricks on her. Last time she saw him was a couple of weeks ago when he was at her mother's grave site.

Thinking of that while dancing made her thought of what he said: her mother's poetry. When she gets home, she has to find out about it and scan it through so that Oblio wasn't telling a story. He was actually honest, however, so why would he lie to her? Luce decided it was time to stop on the thinking and more of the dancing. The song was almost over, and when she and Hi-Def did "Heartfelt", she put her dedication to it, since she created that move. Once they wrapped it up with the finishing move, she lit up a smile to the crowd, admiring their applause.

Now that it was over, the three of them gave high fives to each other and went to the two females and male. They praised the dance and how they move to the beat. While talking, Luce felt her throat becoming dry, so she cough in response of feeling the arid throat.

"I'm going to get a drink, you guys," she told them, heading to the vending machine that was at the end of where her friends are chatting. Luce went through the busy people dancing, chatting, or whatever, but it was too late for her to notice that someone was in front of her, making her bump into the person. _I should get my bangs trimmed or something..._ she thought angrily. She felt her cheeks burn with embarrassment, so without looking she apologized and went to get her drink.

"F-Forgive me," she said hurriedly, trying to get to where she's needed. She met up with the vending machine and took out a dollar bill, picking out which coke she wanted before putting the dollar in.

"It's okay... Luce," Oblio's voice poured out. Stopping her decision for a beverage, she widen her eyes and remained there, shocked that he just appeared out of nowhere, much like a ninja. Out of all people, she ran into him. Was it coincidence, or just an accident? Come to think of it, when she was in high school, she had never seen or heard of Oblio during her four years here. If she did, then he wouldn't be allowed to have the ravishing blue hair he possesses.

_Goddamn you! How the hell do you do that? _Luce thought before turning around to see Oblio. As usual, he would have that black and yellow jacket on, but it was a nice fit for him. She felt so embarrassed, she wanted to hide herself in a locked room. "H-hey, Oblio," she said shyly. He smiled lightly and took out his wallet, putting in two dollars in the dollar slot. He touched the regular Coke button and went to a new category and picked the iced tea one. Once they all appeared out of the machine, he gave Luce her drink. She wasn't expecting this; because she didn't want him to pay for hers.

"Is this one okay for you?" he asked, showing it to her. She nodded, taking it slowly.

"You didn't have to do that, you know?" Luce told him with a frown, looking at the tall Asian. "Really, I wouldn't mind paying for it myself." Oblio chuckled, taking a sip of his canned tea.

"I offered it; it's no trouble at all," he replied. Luce took a sip of her soft drink, before swallowing it, reminded her of what she was wanting to talk to him about. A few questions later, she can ask him about being in a part of her crew.

"So... you don't go to school here, so how would you know of this place?" Luce asked before she took another swig on her canned drink.

"Excuse me?" Oblio asked, due to the loud music playing. It's one of those cliches that can happen all the time at a place with dancing. If it happens to one of them like the random person from the other club, then it will be a change. "Something about movies?" he asked, hoping that was the right answer. He didn't even know why he said movies, because he doesn't really watch television.

"I'm sorry, what?" Luce replied, having the same condition as Oblio. Suddenly, the bluenette used his hand to hold Luce's wrist gently, and took her outside, which made Luce felt weird out, but if it was to get to know him a bit, then it'd be better to do that. It got dark outside quickly, and the clock at the top of the school said 8:57. "Wow, I didn't expect a full moon tonight," she said, noticing it at the sky.

"Yeah..." Oblio replied. "So what was it you wanted to ask me?" Luce snapped out of her thinking and staring at the night sky, and looked at the bluenette.

"You don't go to school here, as I recall... is that right?" He nodded, crossing his arms.

"Right. I was home schooled all my life, so if you're wondering about my solitary and my love plus knowledge for poetry, then there's your answer." Luce understand that well, since it was obvious, but he dances in crowds of people and they cheer for him, like he's famous or something. Maybe he was just that good of a dancer.

"When did you get here?" Luce asked. "It seems that I've missed your dance or something, since I got here right around half past eight." Oblio looked at her.

"A half hour earlier than you," he replied. "Honestly, I didn't dance at all during that time because..." He stopped before he could continue. The bluenette didn't know what he got himself into. Would it be worth to tell her what he earned?

"What is it?" Luce asked, looking at Oblio's blue eyes. "If it's something personal or whatever, I never speak of it, no matter what place it's in." Oblio smiled.

"I usually leave right when I get something done, that being observing the place like an agent," he spoke up. "It's not really a bad thing, but at times, I feel as if the people only come to dance for socializing and all that, which is kind of irritating to me a bit. You're not obnoxious at all... as far as I can tell compare to some others that I battled before you." Luce couldn't help but smile; that was actually nice of him, in her opinion. Adding that he thinks she's okay made her feel better about being around him. Later, she removed the smile.

"I understand. It can be a bit too much when people rather chat than dance. I mean, that's what dancing has in store during those times, right?"

It really made sense in why he was in a hurry from the night they danced. Every time that the song would end like the time they battled, he would leave immediately, like something important came up. As much as he would like to stay and chat with her more, his time is up, his smile fading, hurrying to leave. Proof of that was his silent phone vibrating inside his pants pocket. He took it out and looked at what he's received. "I'll see you soon... Luce," he said before turning his head away from her.

He started to head for his motorcycle, which took a light bulb for Luce, finally planning on asking him.

"W-wait! I have to ask you something!" Luce said before Oblio left on his motorcycle. He slid up the orange part of his bike and looked at her curiously. She felt herself blush, getting ready to face embarrassment. _Just relax, Luce, it's not like you're going to prom with him,_ she thought before speaking up. "Oblio... Your moves are like mine, and even though we are different in what we seek in life, I can tell that we complimented each other in dancing. So... I mean... I know that you're the type of person that works alone, but will you be my partner for DCI's competition?" Now was the time for her to look away, so that she won't see his expression of what she asked.

Oblio seemed satisfied, seeing her feel shy, but brave enough to ask him if he will be her partner. He gave a low chuckle, a smile twisting his lips. Just before he head off, while putting on his helmet correctly he spoke up. "I've been told that I should have someone to dance with," he replied, making Luce questioned who told him in her head. "If that's what you want, then I shall." He took out a piece of paper and hurriedly wrote down something on it, giving it to Luce afterwards. "Meet me at that date, time, and place when you're ready." Like perfect timing, he was gone right after he told her his response.

Luce's heart is now relieved. Now she can compete with her friends' crews and what's more to come. She smiled, heading to the lunchroom, only to see people leaving. The conversation she had with Oblio really took time, didn't it? She hurried around to see if the others were there, since Angel is responsible for taking her home.

She noticed Mo and Taye are chatting, which is turning out great for them. Dare and MacCoy are talking to each other as well, both of them are blushing, but they just don't seem to care. All that's left is Glitch, Angel, and Emilia, talking about their crew partners and how it would happen since Glitch just met up with Mo, Bodie would be a lifeguard at the nearby beach, and Aubrey would either be in a different country shopping, or whatever comes to her mind.

She came up to the three, her smile just in the way of how happy that she has Oblio as her crew partner. The three stopped their chattering and noticed that difference from Luce. "What's up, Diamond?" Emilia asked. "That smile means something great has happened, didn't it?" She just nodded, feeling that if she spoke with her bright smile, then she would feel like she's bragging.

"Something tells me that Diamond got her dance partner," Glitch said, his smile being sly as evidence. Luce smiled at him, somewhat glad that Mo has a protegé like Glitch. She looked at the Latino.

"Hey Angel, Claire said that I gotta be at home before ten, so you mind taking me there now?" Angel nodded with a small grin, since he knows he's responsible for taking her anywhere she's needed to go. On the date he gave her, Luce will show Oblio how her mother's dancing got her to where she is today.

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**~Chapter Eight coming soon...~**

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**********Now that we know that Dare and Luce got their boys, XD now the we can see how Luce and Oblio will have their dance rehearsals. Maybe I should put in when Oblio tells her that the song they will be dancing to is "Lapdance" by N.E.R.D. OMG that would be just priceless to see Luce's reaction to the whole dance routine when Oblio is doing it. XD Should I put this in or not? Either way, it'll depend on what will happen in my writing. ^_^  
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**********Another thing... Luce does have a driver's license, it's just that Angel, Mo, Claire, or anyone else sixteen or above are offering and kind enough to take her anywhere. :P**

******Be sure to review ****************to keep me going**! :)


	8. Body Movin'

**************For some reason, I'm in a good mood to update another chapter after last time! :) It's time for the Luce's and Oblio's rehearsal! :D Enjoy~!**

**************DCFan4ever: All will be revealed in due time, girl! ^_^**

**************Anonymous: I'd be willing to do that, but the review you sent me didn't show all what you put (maybe it got deleted and you were in a rush?), meaning I don't know what will happen after they rehearse the dance. Hopefully in a new chapter, I'll do that. :)**

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**~Chapter Eight: Body Movin'~**

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The golden sun started to hit the room of Luce, slowly lighting up the area. When it landed on Luce's face, she closed her eyes tighter, hoping to get the sun out of her dreaming state of mind. Much to her dismay, she groaned and got up, stretching like a cat and yawning to get herself awake. She took her glasses from her nightstand, and put them on, her vision becoming more clear than her unaided eyes. Looking at the time, it was only around six, ten minutes before the half hour.

The brunette sighed, laying her head back on her pillow. She looked to her right to where her nightstand is, and took a book from it. As she scan through it, she looked at her mother's poems that Oblio mentioned he read. In her guess, her mom's poetry is a hobby that she would consider doing if she hadn't done her dancing and acting. While she was pregnant with her brother Derek, maybe that was the free time of doing something she loves other than dancing. She wished she could ask her about this before she left the earth.

Her mother was proud of her work, citing what she did in life and the miracles of great achievements that motivate her to take the pen and write it down in her own freewill. There were all kinds of poems she created: haiku, sonnets, limericks, and so forth. Wanting to read more, but couldn't, her phone vibrated, making Luce sit up and look to see who's text her. It was a number she didn't recognize, but when she read the text, she noticed the signature reminded her of the Korean she met yesterday.

She chuckled, shooting a text back to him. After sending it, she added Glitch's number in her contacts. Either Mo told him her number, or he just got sneaky and went through his partner's phone and found her number. She later shrugged off the idea, getting ready to prepare herself to finally rehearse with Oblio. The place he picked wasn't that far, but just as long it's in the city, it's acceptable.

She hurried to shower, which took about a half hour and found a comfortable outfit to wear for the weather of today. She put on the denim skinny jeans and blue and gold plaid combat boots. In her tank top, she decided to fix her hair before putting on her shirt so that it wouldn't leave wet stains on the top back of her shirt.

Brushing her hair carefully, Luce thought of what kind of songs she will be dancing to. There are a lot of songs that can make create moves without having to review them, unless she's teaching someone like she did with Dare and Emilia. Finished with drying and brushing her hair, she put on her shirt and went to her phone since she heard another text possibly from Glitch.

_From: Glitch_

_After your rehearsal, want to have lunch with Mo and the others? If you do, then be at The Groovy Smoothie at around twelve. :)_

Luce smiled, respecting Glitch's offer. It'd be great to have a hangout right after her dance rehearsal with Oblio, so why not? She sent a text saying that she'll be there, heading down the stairs ready to see what today has in store for her. Once she noticed Claire watching the television, she went to her without distracting her.

"Hey, Claire? I need a favor." The blonde Italian looked at the brunette, her hazel eyes looking at Luce's brown ones. She gave her a look, motioning her to go on. Luce felt a bit of heat rising on her cheeks. "Um... remember that guy who was at my mom's grave that day?"

"Yes, what about him?" Claire asked. Her brain clicked, giving herself a big grin. "I knew I should have went nice on him; you're going on a date with him, aren't you? I figured you two were an item!" Luce immediately turned red, trying to breathe it out and cool herself off. She's not serious, is she?

"N-No," Luce stammered. "Actually, we are in a dance crew now, so I need you to take me to the Planks." Claire smiled nonetheless, and got up, turning off the television and getting her car ready. Her Ferrari started up without the need of the key being inserted, since it's the latest model. Luce checked the time on her phone, it being 10:30. It only takes them by car ride to get there in about five minutes, which is good for Luce especially.

The temperature feels rather cool for a summer's day, being at seventy-one degrees. Just because it's that way now, that doesn't mean it'll stay that way for the rest of the day. It was a good thing so that she doesn't have to worry about the heat making her sweat badly. What would really matter would be the moves she will have to learn or the ones she created and add it in for a choreography.

Finally at the Planks, Claire picked a safe spot to drop her off, smiling as to say goodbye. Luce smiled back, now hoping to find Oblio so that they can get started on the dance routines. Since the Planks is basically an all age theme park, who knows where Oblio can be at? At least Luce wasn't the type of person to fret about where a friend would be, although in this case, she doesn't have Oblio's number.

Hearing a faint sound of music, it caught her attention. Carefully, she went to the source of the beat, until she can find if it's Oblio or someone else practicing their moves. Luce felt like she was in a video game, having to find the location of a friend, sort of like a role-playing game that wouldn't bring a negative outcome for whatever she would do in the future. Her eyes found a medium-sized stereo at an abandoned bar, with a music device plugged in, which was why the sound was loud and can be heard to. She went closer and looked closer to see what song was playing, turning out to be "Let it Rock".

"So you've finally made it, huh?" Oblio said, causing Luce to turn herself around to face the speaker, surprised that he came without a sound like last time. Her eyes met his shoes, then rose up to see black tight pants with three metal plates on each side, and a tank top that says "Crash Symphony" with mesh added on the inside. Luce tried her best not to blush, noticing that he has nice strong arms that resulted in biceps. "Are you okay? Your face is reddening."

Luce snapped out of her not-wanting-to-tell-someone thoughts and looked down to her left with her hand cupping her arm. It was funny that she didn't blush that much when she saw Angel with his "Show-Off" outfit, since the center of his abs and bod were showing, yet for some reason, Oblio's arms attracted her attention. "Y-Yeah, I'm fine. It's the temperature, that's all." The bluenette looked at the sky through his purple shades, gray clouds coming in to show off a gloomy picture.

"Seems we won't have much time. I was hoping to do more, but maybe next time," Oblio said, looking at Luce to see that she's feeling a bit better than she had. "Hopefully after this song, we can call it a day." Luce looked at the sky, nodding from his statement.

"You're right," she replied. "So... what song are we doing?"

"You've heard of 'Body Movin' (Fatboy Slim Remix)' by Beastie Boys?" he asked with a small smirk. Luce blinked, recognizing that song. She listened to it on her phone all the time, so it wasn't a big surprise there. She smiled back, putting her small purse down next to Oblio's stereo.

_This should be interesting,_ Luce thought before speaking up. "Yeah, I have. You got the routine all gathered up?" Oblio nodded, head to his stereo to find the song. At least his stereo allows him to go to the music he wants instead of having to unplug his phone and do that. Once the song started to play, that's when the routine will begin.

"It won't be easy, but you have the potential," the bluenette told her, rolling his shoulders to ease off the tenseness.

While the dance routine occurred, Oblio watched as Luce tried her best to score the upcoming moves. Taking it from the top was like a graded test, since she's breaking down the moves so that it can add up together. So far, it wasn't too bad, but then again, there are moves that seem to be impossible, especially the one that it coming up right after she did the move "Sidekicks".

"Now this one's called 'Running Jack'," Oblio said after Luce finished the two "Sidekicks". Using his arm and leg, they looked as if they were about to touch, but it's in a running form.

"Oh, damn," Luce spoke up, the move looking extremely difficult. Oblio heard her and noticed that she felt pressured that if she screws it up, he might scold her.

"Just try it," he told her calmly. Luce took a deep breath, then did it the same way as Oblio did it, but for some reason it didn't feel right. When she did it, her arm was too high, making the beat off if her elbow didn't meet up with her knee. Oblio crossed his arms. "Tell you what: try to work on that at home, and if it feels right to you, then that means you got it."

"Thanks," Luce smiled, panting softly for air. Once she caught her breath, she continued with the upcoming moves that Oblio showed to her. She managed to do them well, so practice was over, due to thunder roaring and rain sprinkling. Oblio put his stereo in the compartment attached to his motorcycle, while Luce went inside the empty bar to protect herself from the rain and to let Glitch know that she'll be at Groovy Smoothie. Oblio noticed that she was busy, but just to be fair, he got his jacket that was similar to the one he had on some time ago, but it had a teal top part instead of yellow. "Um... is it cool if you can drop me off somewhere?" she asked when Oblio faced across from her.

"Sure," Oblio replied. "Where do you need to be?" Luce moved her head to see how bad the weather is, and right now, it's raining harder than ever. Luckily, Oblio's motorcycle was moved inside the bar before it got worse. She frowned, putting her phone in her purse and slinging it on her shoulder.

"Maybe we should wait? We'll end up soaked." Oblio chuckled, putting his jacket around Luce. She blinked, confused. "What are you...?"

"It's no problem," he replied with a small smile. "Use that to shield yourself from the rain, and I'll use my helmet." Luce put on the sleeves, which was long, but Oblio was right about it protecting her from the rain, while he headed to his motorcycle, removed his sunglasses to put on his helmet, and started the engine. He turned his head to look at Luce with the orange visor from the helmet. It signaled Luce to get on, so she did. "I recommend hanging on tight, especially for this kind of weather," he warned her.

Luce breathed through her nose, doing what she is told. Wrapping her arms around his waist, she began to speak. "The others want me to be at Groovy Smoothie around this time, so can you take me there?" Oblio slid down the visor from his helmet and nodded, revving up the engine and heading over to Luce's destination.

Something about the ride of a motorcycle made Luce felt a great rush. The air around her was cold and extravagant. The rain that pelted down on her shield, or in this case, Oblio's jacket, actually worked. She pitied the motorcyclist for having to take the price of being wet like last time. Luce can barely see where they're heading, due to the heavy rain and wind making her glasses sprinkled with water, but she can tell they're in town due to the multiple lights of vehicles and signs.

Through his helmet, Oblio carefully parked to Groovy Smoothie. Luce noticed he stopped, giving her the cue to hurry inside. She removed the jacket and offered it to him, but he stopped her, smiling lightly.

"Keep it for now," he told her. "You can give it to me when we meet again, that being tomorrow at Gridlocks; it's too far from here, but if your friends know where it is, then that's fine." Luce smiled and put on the jacket to protect her from the rain.

"Thanks again," she said calmly, walking to the front door of the restaurant. Before heading off, Oblio watched her heading into the restaurant, chuckling and heading back to where his motorcycle takes him. Luce opened the door to see a vividly bright and colorful place, completely opposite of outside. Instead of quiet, cold and wet, it was crowded, but also dry and warm.

"There she is!" Angel replied, waving to Luce to get her response. The brunette heard her friend's voice, looking over to her right. With a smile, she headed over where the Latino, Mo, Glitch, and Emilia are at. She took a seat beside Emilia and Angel and smiled for the fact that they are here. "It must have been rough outside," he told her, mentioning the jacket that isn't hers.

"For him being mysterious, he seems to be a gentleman, right, Diamond?" Emilia asked with a sweet smile. Luce chuckled, taking it off and placing it on her lap.

"I guess you can say that," Luce replied. "So, how's everyone?" Mo told Luce about how he's teaching Glitch how to do head spins, which was complicated for him, but they were managing since Glitch promised he'll make it for Mo. Angel explained that Aubrey was actually impressed with Angel's moves, especially with the songs she picked. Then Emilia told Luce how training with Bodie is fun, yet challenging, which really fits their athletic style.

Once the drinks and food were served, they want crazy to get what they ordered, like if they hadn't eaten in a week. Luce smiled at their crazy motives and kept calm, since after all, she didn't order hers technically.

"Here, Luce," Angel said to the quiet brunette, giving Luce her favorite smoothie and meal. She grinned at him and drank, feeling refreshed from the past dancing. Next was her meal, a cheeseburger and fries, a classic. She's not a big eater, but that doesn't mean she can't love food. Once she settled with her food being nearly finished with just a couple bites out of a burger and a few fries left out, she rubbed her stomach lightly, due to having a small stomach.

"Hey, Diamond, is it okay if I can have your fries?" Glitch asked. Luce chuckled and nodded, surprised that a young teen like him can have a stronger stomach than her. Mo took out his wallet and revealed out a five dollar bill and two one dollar bills, paying for half of the food and drinks.

"We'll see y'all later then," Mo told the three, heading out with Glitch who waved them goodbye with his signature grin.

"You two ready to head off?" Emilia asked the last two.

"_Si_," Angel replied, taking out ten dollars to pay for the rest of the food, but Luce took out her wallet and offered it instead. Angel looked at her curiously.

"It's no trouble," she told him with a smile. "I think you should save up, don't you think?" Angel smiled at her response, putting his money back in his wallet.

"_Gracias_, Luce," he answered. Before they could head off, Luce put the money in the black little compartment and signed the receipt. While heading to Angel's car with Emilia to hang out for awhile, she felt a bit dizzy and her stomach hurt, but she shrugged it off and continued on for the rest of the day. Maybe it's the dancing and eating she's been doing that's making her feel that way.

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**~Chapter Nine coming soon...~**

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**********************I'm really excited for the next chapter, but since the Fourth of July is coming, I have to have a little bit of time off to spend time with my family up in my hometown, along with my mom getting surgery for having two hernias. All in all, everything's going to be all right. :) Back to chapter details; if you tried to attempt "Running Jack", then I hope you know how to do it, because it's hard as hell, so I'm giving Luce the same situation for those who don't know how to do it, myself included. :P Updates still coming. :)**

**Review down below, please! :D**


	9. Dance Fever

******Before I get on with this, I want to say: thank you xDiamond Rainx for the splash of reviews you gave me! :D I missed you online (even though you're my friend in real life XD) and I'm glad you're back. :)**

******This, my dancers, would have to be one of the light-heart, but solidly dark chapters I've ever created. This is my favorite chapter with some laughs in there. You'll see~. ;)**

******DCFan4ever: I'm glad you liked the last chapter. ^_^**

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**~Chapter Nine: Dance Fever~**

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Luce met up at the area where Oblio told her about: the Gridlocks is what it's called. Luckily, Mo drove her here, since Claire was busy with errands Luce's father have given her since he's still away in France for his movie shoot. Before the brunette could get out of the car, she got tapped on the shoulder behind her, that being Glitch.

"Same place after you're done?" he asked with a smirk. Luce smiled back at him, then at Mo.

"Always," she replied. Getting out of the van, she looked back at them before heading towards the area where cars can't go through. "See you two later." Mo revealed his head out the window, reminded of something. "We'll order your food before you come over," he told her, later rolling up the window and heading off to practice with Glitch. Once the van went off with the small traffic, she found Oblio listening to music with his ear buds, his arms crossed with himself laid back to his motorcycle.

Luce felt relieved, happy that she didn't seem being late in his head. Another way it's good was that he was wearing his purple shades again. It was a shame that she didn't get to see his clear blue eyes. When she walked up to him, he looked up and took off his ear buds, getting the small boombox out of his bag. Luce stretched before she can get ready to finish the dance they will be doing in DCI's competition. While practicing last night in her den at home, the "Running Jack" took the longest for her to perfect.

She remembered what Oblio told her on how to slowly get it without having to lift her leg at the wrong side. Left goes first, then right, then double for left. Same thing again, but opposite for the directions. The arm should be adjacent, from the knee rising, but not too far and not too high.

Luce sighed deeply, getting ready to do the dance routine. "Turn it up, Oblio," she told him, putting her purse down beside the boom box. "I finally understand that move." Noticing the confidence in her eyes, he played "Body Movin", giving Luce the cue to get started on the dance. She started off with "Heel Step", then carried it on with the "Hop Hit".

The bluenette watched her move swiftly to the beat, while at the same time, noticed that she's determined to get the song finished without having him to worry about a new choreography later. When the freestyle section appeared, she used her creative moves to make them fit the song and to define her swag. The move she had difficulty with came up, and she did it without having to think back if it was good or not.

Through the purple sunglasses, he raised an eyebrow for how much she's improving in not only the "Running Jack", but the other moves, doing them stronger to show that she really means it. When the finishing move appeared, she wrapped her arms around her, panting from the exhaustion and use of energy in the dance routine.

"Now you're getting it," Oblio stated, nodding in approval. "Powerful moves always earn respect." Luce laughed out her tiredness, unwrapping her arms and smiling at Oblio for his acceptance.

"Thanks! So is that song are we doing for the-" she stopped, her eyes quivered rapidly, resisting to keep them open, placing her hands to her head. "W-Whoa..." she let out, feeling dizzy.

Luce started to lose her vision, starting to fall down to the ground with her eyes closed. Oblio was lucky enough to catch her in his arms, himself surprised on what has happened. He sat themselves down on the ground to make themselves feel comfortable easier. It was strange, because she was feeling fine a few moments ago, but now she's down. The bluenette remained calm, but a different person would be shocked and would beg for someone to help save her. He shook her gently, trying to get her awake.

Oblio sighed, knowing that wouldn't work. He placed her head on his shoulder and noticed that she was burning up, and she only finished one song in rehearsal. Another conflict came to him: he would have to drive with his exhausted and weak dance partner out of where they are at, or he would have to hang onto her and get to her house which is the problem. The problem is that he doesn't know where she lives; even if he sneaked through her phone and checked it for the address, he didn't want to ever invade her space, unless she said it's okay for him to.

_Maybe I should take her there since it is close- No, I can't let anyone there see us. _To make sure the touch was right, he placed his hand on her forehead. He gasped, due to the high temperature of her forehead.

"Luce," he said softly, knowing that bitterness won't work to get her up. Being careful to where he will put his hand, he placed it on her pulse at her neck, where it would have evidence of life. He felt her pulse running, himself relieved in silence. Luce had little strength left, tugging Oblio's black tank top at his back shoulder.

"O-Oblio?" she asked weakly, opening her eyes slowly.

He looked shocked to hear her say his name weakly, but she responded, which was the best outcome. Luce tilted her head to look at him, Oblio placing his hand on the back of her head for support. His blue eyes from his sunglasses focused on her brown eyes.

"Luce?" Hearing her name being called by him like that made Luce feel remorse. She frowned and looked down.

"I'm sorry... for letting this happen. At times like this, I feel so weak... Will you call Claire and tell her of my condition...? And please let me... sleep for a bit..." Luce closed her eyes, immediately falling asleep. For the sake of emergency, he saw that her phone is in her small purse and took it, no hesitation in using it to call Claire.

He searched through the contacts and found Claire's number, touching the number to make the call. Pressing it gently to his ear, he looked at Luce, who is still not moving, despite having warmth and a pulse. He wondered how Claire is going to react when this situation is occurring. _"Hey, Luce, dance practice over so-"_

"It's actually me," Oblio assured Claire. "Right after she rehearsed a song, she fainted with heat rising all over her face and hadn't made a move since, but her heart is still beating. Not too long after, she told me that she felt tired." Oblio can hear the blonde gasp in shock, which made him a bit worried.

_"Oh God, not again..."_ Claire said, her voice filled with fear. Oblio's eyes narrowed in concern, especially when the word 'again' was in her voice. _"I'm not down with my errands completely, but I'll be there in five minutes. Stay where you are, and please don't let her go."_ Once she hung up, Oblio put Luce's phone back where it was in her purse, and moved his hand up to her hair.

The Asian noticed that her hair was so soft that it was like touching a silky robe. His left hand slowly traced down to her cheek, gasping lightly due to the temperature again. It was either the weather, or her warm, optimistic personality that gives her that. This was different; having her cheek be as hot as a fever's. If Luce woke up by now, would she be bothered by Oblio's gentle touch?

He noticed the red Ferrari from the corner of his eye. A few seconds later, Claire came out and ran to Luce, checking her forehead and cheeks carefully by feeling them. She shook her head in disbelief, picking her up and taking her to the car. "This is not good at all," Claire referred to Luce's condition. Oblio watched the older woman, seeing her put the unconscious Luce in the back seat of the car, closing the door and looking back at him, shaking her head sadly. "She told me that she was feeling funny when she got home after she was at Groovy Smoothie. She maybe capable of dancing or whatever she wants to do, but sometimes when she gets sick, it can take almost a week for her to heal up completely. Usually, she gets the common cold around this time of the year."

The bluenette's eyes focused on the car where Luce is in, never thinking that she would have to go through that at this time of the year. She's stubborn, but she has a good heart. Oblio sighed, looking back at Claire. "Her soul is gentle and kind. Who would ever thought that she would get sick like that?" he said, closing his eyes for a moment. Claire's phone vibrated and she checked it, which made her feel guilty of what she's about to say.

_Would it be okay with him?_ Claire thought before speaking. "I have an errand from her father I have to take care of, Oblio," Claire proclaimed, looking up at him before heading to her red Ferrari. She opened the door, looking at him before entering. "Can you please take care of her after I drive her back home? Just follow my Ferrari until we stop there."

Oblio nodded, taking off his sunglasses and putting on his helmet to start the engine. Once Claire's vehicle head off, so did he. The traffic wasn't as bad as it was earlier, so it made the two of them feel relieved for Luce's sake. A few minutes later, they made it to Luce's mansion. The bluenette put his motorcycle on park, took off his helmet, and went to the passenger's seat where the resting girl is.

"Where's her room?" Oblio asked, picking up Luce while Claire was unlocking the door to the house.

"Upstairs and then go left until you find a door past the attic. After I finished her father's errand, I'm going to get her a treat for her cold. Is there something you want?"

"If there's some, can you get Blazin' Blue Raspberry Ice Cream?" Oblio asked calmly, trying to not get excited since that flavored ice cream is his guilty pleasure. Claire gave him a smile, starting the engine of her Ferrari.

"I'll be back at around seven. For medicine and the thermometer, it's inside the cabinet when you walk in the kitchen," she told him before backing up and heading to whatever Luce's father wants her to take care of. Heading to her house and up to her room, Oblio can hear Luce panting heavily, feeling uneasy from her rest.

_I'm sorry,_ Oblio thought, reflecting to her condition, while doing his best to open her bedroom door while not trying to make Luce fall out of his arms. Getting that out of the way, he used his arm to open the door wider so the two of them can fit through. He placed her gently on her bed, feeling her forehead to make sure if checking the temperature would matter. It burned more than it did last time, so he went downstairs quickly to find the thermometer.

Heading back upstairs to get settled on taking care of Luce, he used the electronic thermometer to place it on her forehead, and carefully sliding it across to her temple. The results showed up with a beep, a loud one exactly. Luce woke up after Oblio checked her temperature, making her shot up and bump her forehead to something really hard, that being Oblio's own forehead. She winced in slight pain, while Oblio used his free hand to rub where her head rammed his. "Geez! That hurt like _hell_!" she complained as she put her hand on her scorching forehead, but frowned when she noticed that it affected Oblio as well. "I'm sorry..." she apologized.

"It's fine, Luce," Oblio replied calmly, looking at the temperature slowly so that he wouldn't give himself a headache after the little incident. He frowned before he could continue speaking. "You're at 102.4, so just rest up and let me give you something to drink with some medicine." He stood up, heading down the stairs, but stopped for a moment. "While I'm down there, change into something light so you won't have to worry about feeling overheated." Once he closed the door, that gave Luce the opportunity to change into a light tank top and athletic shorts.

When she stumbled to her closet, she noticed how numb and cold she felt, despite getting out of bed. Luce hated that feeling more than anything. With her gut, she hurried to get a pink and black tank top, and aqua shorts with white trimming. She sat down on her bed and hurried to change into the tank top and shorts before Oblio can come in. She put her short-sleeved shirt, skirt, and stockings in her dirty clothes basket, and carefully went back to her bed, feeling tired as hell.

Her phone started to play a ringtone, resulting in a call from someone. Luce groaned, but she looked at the contact calling her number. It made her happy and displeased, but whatever emotion would conquer, she accepted the call. "Hey there," she said weakly.

_"Whoa, girl, you are not feeling well!" _Mo said through the phone. _"We were wondering why you haven't come over to Groovy Smoothie." _Luce frowned and rolled to her side with a deep sigh.

"I'm sorry..." she trailed. "It has come again," she told him, mentioning her cold. Even though it's through communication on a device, she can tell that Mo would be feeling bad for her.

_"It's okay, Luce. Tell you what, the rest of us are still here at the restaurant, and your food is with us as well. I'll come over and put it in the fridge for you. Is Claire at home with you?" _Somehow, Luce feels excited to hear his reaction for her upcoming sentence. With a small chuckle and light smile, she began to speak.

"No, but Oblio is." Mo didn't have a grudge for him, but he would have to keep an eye around him due to what happened when he was at the roofless club that night.

_"Is that so?"_ he asked simply. _"I'll just bring your food over and when you feel better, you can have it. That okay?"_

"It's fine. Oblio should get it when you come over. Bye," she replied, hanging up right after Mo said it as well. She put her phone on the charger and sat up, taking off her glasses to rub her eyes from feeling heavy. Putting on her glasses, she sat up and stretched carefully even with the numbness dwelling within her.

The bluenette knocked on the door, which almost gave the brunette a panic attack, but she told him to come in, so he opened the door, holding a bottle of aspirin and a glass of iced tea. Before he could make her get her medicine taken care of, his shoe stepped on something, which stopped his moving. He put the glass and aspirin bottle on her dresser and got down on one knee and picked up the item, revealing a blue and black striped bra. Luce froze in embarrassment, not knowing that she left it there when she was putting her clothes in her laundry basket. Mentally, she slapped herself, dropping the bomb of showing off an undergarment to a dance partner. Looking at him staring at her bra made her felt uncomfortable.

_What now, Luce? Trying to be a freaking slut to him?_ she thought with a mental glare. "Sorry about that..." Luce admitted, blushing in the process while she covered her face with her hands. "J-just put it where my clothes basket is..." Oblio did what he's been told and discarded her bra to the basket. He went back to give her the medicine she needs. Opening the cap and taking out two pills, Oblio used his free hand to gently move away her hands from her embarrassed and hot face. She took the two pills and put one of them in her mouth, taking a sip from the cold yet soothing tea, repeating it one more time for the second pill.

"Is there anything you need me to do?" Oblio asked after she swallowed her last pill. She cleared her throat, putting down her glass to her nightstand.

"Yes, actually. One of my friends Mo, the one who I danced along with his crew partner, is bringing my food from Groovy Smoothie over here. I already told him that you will take it and put it in the fridge, so no harm done." She smiled shyly at him, hoping that he wouldn't mind doing that. The bluenette looked into her brown eyes, nodding understandingly. Her eyes reminded him of someone, but that someone wasn't like Luce. Luce is supportive and never gives up, even when she's sick. He moved her hair away from her eyes so that she can see better.

"You still smile, even if you feel vulnerable?" Oblio asked, noticing that he was staring at her eyes for a long time, looking away with his eyes lowering a bit. Luce chuckled.

"Pretty much," she answered. "I don't want to feel negative when something bad happens to me. Ever since I lost my mom, it gave me enough time to realize that there's still time to smile and have fun, even if I miss her so much." Bringing up her mother made him feel more cautious, making him place his hand on her forehead.

"You still feel warm..." Oblio brought up, just before a doorbell buzzed. Knowing who it is, he went down the stairs to see Mo holding a paper bag with a food chain logo on there. Opening the door, he noticed that Mo wasn't smiling, but wasn't unsatisfied.

"Is she okay?" he asked the bluenette. Oblio nodded, taking the bag from Mo gently. "Alright then. Tell her that I hope she gets better." Before Mo went in his van, Oblio wanted to say something.

"Hang on," he spoke up, making Mo turn around with his eyes glistening with curiosity. "I just want to say thanks... for being there for Luce when needed, along with her other friends." Mo brought up a smile to the bluenette, giving him a thumbs up before leaving. Oblio went back to the house and put Luce's food in the fridge, heading back up to see how Luce is doing.

Opening the door, he noticed that she is under her covers, appearing asleep. Just to make sure, he went to her and sat down on his knees, seeing that she has her eyes closed, but she isn't asleep exactly. "You awake?" Oblio asked quietly. Luce opened her eyes, seeing Oblio's blue eyes up close.

"I've made it obvious," she replied. Her eyes stared at his hands placed on the bed. _I just want to feel it more..._ she thought after speaking. She took Oblio's hand, gripping it softly so she wouldn't feel like she would bruise it. "Just... trust me on this." Luce closed her eyes and let his large hand cover up her small forehead. In that moment, she felt a gentle bliss soothing her for a bit.

"Hm? Mind if I ask what you are doing?" Oblio asked her. He was confused; even though they've known each other for at least a few weeks, it feels like he's known her for quite a while, especially since their dance battle made him think that she was different from his previous opponents. Luce later placed his hand on her cheek, closing her eyes to make herself feel at ease.

"Your hand feels so cold," she replied with a quiet tone. She smiled under her comforter. "But... it feels so refreshing to the touch, especially to my overheated forehead and cheek." The Asian looked at Luce, taking in her compliment about his hand. In fact, he can feel his cheeks warming up a bit. Is Oblio actually blushing?

"Thank you," he replied coolly, trying to hide his true emotion from Luce's kind words. There was nothing else for him to say, but all he could do was just let Luce feel satisfied and content so that her sickness can leave earlier. She is completely different from the people he encountered, and he's a loner. Poetry and motorcycles are his favorites, along with dancing.

Of course, she's considered a dance partner to him, but would he call her... his "peer"?

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**~Chapter Ten coming soon...~**

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**I hope that it wasn't too soon for her to get sick, but if it was, I'll fix it. :) A follow-up to this chapter will be up by next week! ^_^ I believe this chapter is the start of where things are going to get better in this story, so be sure to stay alert! **

**Luce will feel better if you review! :) It's her medicine, along with Oblio helping her. ^_^**


	10. Lightning Strikes

**************Let me say this first: Sorry for not updating last week; I got caught up with responsibilities of taking care of my dogs and taking care of the house while my parents were away for a meeting, so there's the reason, but I'm back and I have a chapter for you~! ^_^**

**************It feels like a running gag for me to make it rain almost everyday, or in this case, every chapter. :P It's a good inspiration for a lot of reasons, and from where I'm at, it's been raining almost everyday. XD Summer rain is just wonderful, I really wanted to add in some of that in this story. :) I also want to let you know that a good friend of mine, who is on here with her awesome Dance Central story, has made a couple of cute pictures of Luce in her street style outfit and another with just something you might know who else wears it. I'm happy about that as I hope you'll be too! I have the links on my profile of her for you wanting to see. Anyways, here's the next chapter! ^_^**

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**~Chapter Ten: Lightning Strikes~**

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After a few hours of getting to know each other a bit, things got quiet, resulting in the two sleeping until morning comes. As Luce sleeps comfortably on her warm bed, Oblio sleeps on the side of the bed, never leaving her. He was on his knees, and he didn't seem to mind sleeping like that.

Luce woke up when the limited sunlight hit her face. She blinked too hard, trying to get the weary feeling away. She noticed that her glasses were still on, feeling a bit guilty for that. She turned to her side, trying to block the sun from her sight. A few seconds after, she noticed that Oblio was there, his arms crossed on the bed with his upper body and his head laying on his arms as a pillow.

_You never left at all?_ Luce thought, smiling with a weak chuckle. Making sure that he won't be awake by her moving, she slowly got off the bed, stretching and moving the curtain away to reveal more sunshine. She still felt a bit numb from her sickness, but she's getting a lot stronger since her fever's gone. Taking one more look at Oblio, she noticed that he's still asleep, so she used that advantage to carefully head down the stairs to get her dinner that Mo left her.

A few moments later, Oblio slowly opened his eyes, the first thing he sees is that Luce is out of her bed. Getting up, he stretched and breathed in and out, looking at the sky. It looked like it won't stay that way for a while, so it was good enough for the sun to be there to wake people up. The bluenette later noticed that his jacket, the one Luce used to shield herself from the rain, was sitting down on a beanbag chair. Before he went to get it and put it on, he heard a ringtone a few feet away. It wasn't his phone because it's on vibrate, so it had to be Luce's. He didn't want to be sneaky or be in her space, but he went to her phone to make sure if it was a call or a text.

Oblio took her phone and went downstairs, hoping to find her so that she can read the message. Down there, he saw Luce and Claire across from each other, the brunette sitting down at the kitchen bar while the blonde is getting her favorite ice cream. Sitting down beside Luce, she noticed the bluenette the moment he took a seat.

"Morning, Oblio," Luce said to him. He smiled at her in return.

"Morning to you as well," he replied. He revealed her phone from his hand and gave it to her. "Someone sent a text to you not too long and I didn't want to snoop, so I wanted you to read it for yourself." Luce nodded and took her phone, respecting his generosity and for not being a sleuth. She read it, bringing a big smile on her face.

_From: Angel_

_Claire told me about your sickness. Don't worry, I'll bring you your favorites. I'll be there in five minutes, okay? :)_

Angel's going to be at her house again, just like old times when she was sick. Usually, when he brings the goodies, it ups her energy a bit, making her sicks days shorten, but since Oblio took care of her most of the time yesterday, it'll make it better and she'll be feeling great hopefully by today.

"Thanks for letting Angel know, Claire," Luce spoke up to the Italian.

"You're welcome, Luce," she replied. "I told him because there's one more errand I must take care of for your father, so I figured that he and Oblio can help take care of you. Are you feeling a bit better?" she asked, giving her a small bowl of chocolate mint ice cream. Luce nodded before taking a spoonful of the cold treat. "That's good to know, then. Oblio, I have your ice cream in the freezer; if you want, then you can get yourself a bowl of it." The bluenette nodded and went to the freezer and found his blue raspberry flavored ice cream. While he was getting settled with fixing himself a bowl of it, the doorbell ringed.

Luce went to see who it was, and it was the Latino outside her house. With a smile, she opened the door. Angel wore his "Show Off" outfit, but the torso's covered, due to the rain from behind him. He smiled and gave her two plastic bags. When she took it, Angel placed his gloved hand on her forehead, then brushed a piece of hair out of her face carefully. Luce chuckled from his touch. "You're feeling better than last time," he told her. From afar, Oblio raised an eyebrow when he noticed the two of them.

"You bet," Luce said. She headed to the bar and put her bags on there, checking what's inside. One holds two Vitamin Waters, and a small box of Ritz. The other bag has a can of chicken noodle soup and something that isn't food, but it helps her when she needs it: a gift card for iTunes so she can buy some music. "Thank you so much, Angel. Perhaps you remember Oblio," she told him. After that small incident, he has to watch out for whatever Oblio has his mind set to, but if he's kind, then that's fine.

"_Hola_, Oblio," Angel spoke up, adjusting his visor to see the Asian fully.

"Hello, Angel," the bluenette replied. Before anyone else can make a move or speak, the blonde's heels are heard, passing the three from the kitchen to the front door.

"Alright," Claire spoke up, getting her keys from the side table close to the front door. "I'll be back in two hours, so please take good care of Luce, you two." Once she's outside, that leaves only the three of the dancers. There really wasn't that much to say, but it wasn't too awkward.

"I guess I'll take a shower then," Luce said with a small smile. "Don't be too quiet okay?" She went upstairs to her room then the shower, leaving only the Asian and Latino in the living room. Now it was awkward, especially for Angel. Honestly, he didn't know how to start up with a normal conversation with him, and he's not the solitary person unlike Oblio. For the bluenette, however, it seems easy.

"Luce has told me all about you," Oblio said, referring towards Angel. He stood up to put his finished bowl in the sink, and then went to stand across from Angel. "You've been friends with her since you were five, correct?" Angel nodded, trying his best not to look at the bluenette.

"That so? Well, she's rather shy right around now, but she was confident and obstinate when I first met her. By the time we were in middle and high school, she's always defending me when girls reject me when I flirt or ask them out on a date. Despite her shyness, she can be bold and happy, but at times like this, you'd just wish that you can hold her." Oblio looked at the brunette curiously.

"Why is that? Besides the sickness?" he asked, himself turning more concern. Angel sighed deeply and crossed his arms, his visor preventing him from seeing Oblio for a bit.

"Her mother's death," Angel answered, frowning. Oblio knew of this, raising his eyebrow as a result, but he would like to hear it in Angel's words. "That day has to be the darkest of anyone's life. Seeing her worried when her mother went missing for at least three days just made me want to take the life of the one responsible. When we found out what happened, her depression lasted for a month. She put herself in solitude, never replying messages or calling us right after the funeral."

Oblio responded to that with a rare frown, imagining Luce shed tears so badly it can result a waterfall. He agrees with Angel, wanting to get rid of the murderer, but in his way of life, killing would lead him into the dark. "Poor sparrow..." he muttered. "I never knew that a strong soul like hers would receive something so ill-lighted." The brunette turned his head to Oblio, his brown eyes glisten for what he is about to say.

"Anyone that knows her didn't expect it, either," Angel replied. "After Luce was out of her depression, she told me that she hadn't talked to anyone during that month, and she even skipped meals for a week." Oblio felt his skin turn cold. She even lost her appetite for that long, she could have been as skinny as a broom. Angel's cell phone rang, which really interrupted the mood that was created during his words from his past. "Hello?"

_"Angel, if you're going to be at dance rehearsal, then you better get yourself here right now!" _Aubrey scolded through the phone. Despite his feelings for her, he sighed from her impatience, replying that he'll be on the way. As much as he wants to stay to take care of Luce, he doesn't want another scolding from the Queen.

"I'll see you soon, I guess," Angel said to Oblio. "Tell Luce that I hope she gets better soon." Oblio nodded, watching the Latino leave. Since he's all by himself, Oblio decided to give himself a tour of the living room. He noticed the picture frames on the mantel and surrounding the television. He took one of them and looked at it carefully,

It was Luce with her family, smiling together. That picture portrays her as a young teen, right around thirteen, and her brother at fifteen. Oblio didn't noticed that he smiled lightly when they are happy together in the picture. Sadly, it was the last five years of happiness for the Valentine family. The rest of the pictures were from childhood to now, Mrs. Valentine holding Luce and her brother from the times she gave birth to them, and Mr. Valentine having his arm around her just when they were born.

When he put them up, he later discovered a book. Taking it and flipping the pages, he noticed that it was the same as his own copy: Mrs. Valentine's poetry. It was a best-selling book about life and taking advantage of what you want to do, and it inspired a lot of people. It even inspired Oblio to continue his dancing career of how he wants it to be. He feels spiritually connected to her, understanding her strive and confidence. It gave Oblio the answer of how Luce got her confidence from. Hearing footsteps from the stairs, he carefully put the book back to its original spot and decided and open the curtain to see a now heavy raining view.

When Luce came in with the same shorts and tank top since she's still healing up, but wore a bra under it due to the straps almost being noticeable. It's not like Oblio's going to look at that or anything. Also, with her hair dry and brushed, there was something different about her. Oblio turned his head to look at her, and he noticed that she wasn't wearing her usual glasses. She looked... a bit prettier without them on. He even noticed that the look in her eyes seemed a bit sad, but she's trying her best to replace that with a positive look, with the help of a kind smile. Why is Oblio having the feeling of wanting to embrace her? Sure that he felt really bad for Luce's loss, but another came to him that had him stop his tracks.

"Can you see?" he asked out of curiosity. Luce smiled when she figured that he noticed she's not wearing glasses.

"Yes, I can see. Normally, I always wear glasses, but I wear contacts whenever my eyes aren't irritated. It's a rare event, so be lucky you've seen it now," she chuckled, heading to a mirror to give herself one last check. She went to get a Vitamin Water from one of the bags and took a swig of it, wanting the taste of it to quench her thirst. Twisting it closed, she noticed someone was missing. "So Angel left, huh? Dance rehearsal?"

"Something like that," he answered. "He told me, however, that he hopes you'll get well soon." Luce nodded, understanding that. There was something that she wanted to let Oblio know of, but she doesn't know how to start it. Something about him would understand of her words she gathered in her head, but how will he respond to it, is the question.

"Hey, Oblio? There's something I need to tell you. I probably should have done that before I asked you to be in the crew." When Luce looked at him to see if he was listening, he nodded, telling her mentally to continue. "Well..." she sighed, feeling herself tremble. "I respect you for being solitary until I came in the picture. However, when my mother died, I decided that no one should know of what I'm feeling. Even ignoring Claire was part of my past depression. If I tell anyone how I'm feeling, they will either show pity or catch that emotion I have by comforting me." She started to shake, avoiding eye contact with him. "I don't know how you do it, but-"

The Asian stopped her speaking by pulling her into his unplanned embrace. Luce gasped from the act, dropping her drink and looking to her right, which was the back of Oblio's head and his dyed blue hair. The grip became a bit tighter, making Oblio look at Luce to make sure that she wasn't fully surprised. Luce's eyes started to tremble, feeling unsure and wanting to cry at the same time.

"I'm alone for a certain reason, but you shouldn't have brought yourself into that kind of pain," Oblio told her, closing his eyes. "Even though you've already coped with your mother's death, I want you to know that it's okay to cry in front of me. If you ever feel weak, sad, or alone, just let it go so it won't rip through your advantages."

The brunette recognized the last part he spoke, that being her mother's words from one of her poems. Her mother also said that to her whenever Luce was in a depressing mood. She lowered her eyes to stop the tears, but she failed, burying her face on Oblio's shoulder, her shoulders quaking faster and holding onto him so that she wouldn't be let go of.

He can hear her sobs escape her lips and feel her tears staining his tank top. The bluenette opened his eyes, his frown returning to understand Luce's pain of loneliness. Hearing her sobs of sadness was too much for him, never wanting Luce to bear such pain. When he first met her, he knew that she was something different, but in a good way. He began to speak while comforting her with his embrace. "Angel told me about your depression," Oblio brought up, which made Luce's frown wider. "We have something in common; my mother died from the stress of giving birth to me, so we share the same predicament. It was hard to never grow up with a loving parent who would take care of you and protect you no matter what."

Luce froze, feeling a chill down her spine and her blood drain when he mentioned his mother died. She felt more guilty than sad now. With that result, she hugged him tighter to let him know how pitiful she felt. This time, the last of her tears were for him.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered. "I didn't know." Oblio looked at the window, the grey clouds becoming darker, but harmless, with heavy rain and lightning appearing in the background. Still holding onto her, he carefully went to the couch and sat down with her.

"Just stay put and relax," Oblio whispered, Luce nodding after her tears were shed. He slowly rubbed her back in order for her to calm down, and while doing that, he looked at the window, seeing lightning flashed before his eyes. When that happened, it gave him an idea of what their crew truly is. "Our crew name... is Lightning. Once we appear at a place, we will be done with it seconds away..." Oblio smiled slightly before finishing. "...and win."

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**************~Chapter Eleven coming soon...~**

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**************It's odd that we don't have the info for Oblio's mom. *shrugs* I'm just being creative here, so I decided that she died. If you want to know why he called Luce a sparrow, look up bird meanings to find out. ^_^ Since he's a crow, I'd figured I give Luce a bird as well. :P**

******I'm also planning on doing another story for Dance Central. :) It'll be after the events of DC3 (if DC4 was confirmed, then I wouldn't have to do this), and for those who have the game, you know what that means~! :D I highly doubt that Luce will appear since technically, Oblio is in M.O.C. with Dr. Tan... and we all know what happened to him. If anyone has an idea of what I should put in there, let me know in the reviews!**

**Review for the newly named Lightning Crew~! **


	11. DCI Invitation

**So far, this and the next chapter will probably be the shortest, but they will be more than two-thousand words. I want to take this time to thank my loyal and awesome reviewers for being here from the start, because in the categories, characters in specific, in Oblio, I have the highest reviews there, so I thank you for giving me the highest reviews in a category. **

**I'm also in the first page of highest reviews along with other great stories I come across :) Love you all~. ^_^ This chapter will have fluff to break away from the last chapter. :) Here's a chapter to celebrate.**

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**~Chapter Eleven: DCI Invitation~**

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A couple of hours have passed after Luce learned that she shares a deceased mother just like Oblio. She pities him much more than she felt for anyone. But right now, they have finally earned a crew name that holds their reason of being one: Lightning. After she was comforted by Oblio's gentle touch, she asked to be by herself for a moment, which he graciously responded yes. In order for Luce to tell him that she's okay with talking, they gave each other their numbers to make it easy. Luce figured that would be simple and less awkward so that she wouldn't feel shy around him.

It was a good thing Angel bought her some Ritz and chicken noodle soup since she hadn't made plans of getting lunch. Funny to mention, she was glad that her drink that she had before Oblio embraced her was closed so that there wouldn't be a rug stain. Despite all that, she was glad that she was feeling better from her sickness, and the thought of losing her mother being gone forever.

Listening to the music she just bought on her phone, she looked at the time to see how much of it has passed, and boy, an hour has run its course. Luce felt bad for having to make him wait that long until she's better. She shot a text to him, took off her ear buds, and waited for the bluenette to appear.

She stood up and put away the crackers in the pantry, put her finished bowl of soup in the dishwasher, and place her bottled drink in the fridge where the other one stands. Hearing footsteps from someone else, she closed the fridge and looked at the person who now stands three feet away.

"Are you sure you're okay?" the bluenette asked Luce. Luce sighed softly before speaking, then smiled.

"Yeah, I'm okay. That much of crying actually made me felt better." With that response, Oblio gave her a small smile, relieved after having to know a dark part of her past. "Um... You must be starving, so is there anything you want?" Luce asked, looking in the pantry to find Oblio something to snack on or make. When she tried to reach for something, he stopped her by putting her down gently with his hands on her shoulders so that she wasn't tiptoeing.

"I'll fix myself something," he told her. "After all you've been through, I'll take care of this." Luce looked at him nonchalantly as a way of understanding. While waiting, Luce came across a couple of plastic bags on the counter, which resulted in Claire's remainder of time she had when she was doing something for Luce's father. Before she can see what's in there, Oblio opened the fridge and looked for something he needs to cook with. "Luce, do you happen to have any bell peppers I can chop?"

The brunette walked over to the fridge where the bluenette is, and she carefully looked at the top counter of the fridge, and found two unused bell peppers, one green and another red, and gave them to Oblio. "Here you go. What are you making?" Carefully cutting up pieces of each bell pepper, Oblio put them on the pan and started to saute them.

"It's a Chinese delicacy; sweet and sour chicken," he replied, taking the chicken he took out before getting the bell peppers and put the pieces of the chicken in with the peppers. As they are heating up, Oblio went back to the fridge to get the sweet and sour sauce container, and pour at least half a cup in there in order to sink in the chicken and peppers. Stirring them up nicely, he put the lid on for it to work on its own and to bubble up nicely. He turned down the heat so it wouldn't cause an explosion. "It will be ready in about ten minutes."

"All right then!" Luce said, heading back to the counter to hold a plastic bag with something inside it. Without looking, she took out what's in it and smiled at Oblio. "Now we can get settled with this!" Oblio raised an eyebrow, curious why she was holding it.

"With feminine products?" he asked nonchalantly, but felt a bit embarrassed with her holding it. Luce looked at him with a quizzical expression, then she looked at the box. Or maybe was he serious? Well, he was, because it was Luce's new box of tampons.

"Whoa!" she yelped, putting back where it was while blushing. "My bad..." Luce trailed, taking the bag right beside the awkward one. It better not be anything personal, or she's gonna ask Claire about the stuff lying around the house when it should be in room or somewhere else. In fact, why does she have that lay there instead of the bathroom? Taking a cubed shape box, she opened it and it revealed nail polish, relieving Luce silently. "Actually, I need some help with painting my nails. I'm not left-handed, so maybe you can handle that." With that response out of the way, Oblio looked at his fingernails. It has mint and black in a pattern, making it interesting, but some of it is off due to its time.

"If you don't mind, would you like to do mine? In return, I'll do yours, if that's what you want," Oblio replied. Even though he's not a girl, it does sound fun. Luce smiled, taking out a couple of nail polishes. She took a look at his hands and noted the color, so she took the black and mint colored nail polishes out and started to paint his nails carefully.

They are longer compare to hers, since he's a guy, but if she were to have Pringles, she would have to hold the stack downwards to get the rest of the chips. It may be just his hands that are different from hers, but they looked perfect. Now that she finished painting her nails, she waited for them to dry while Oblio went to check on the recipe he's about to eat.

Stirring it, it looked ready, but it has to cool off before he could take a bite out of it. So to pass the time, it was his turn to paint her nails. Luce picked the color she wanted, which was hot pink, and watched as the bluenette started to paint her nails. The feeling of having her nails painted again made Luce feel tingled, but in a good way. It made her feel warm and fuzzy on the inside from the way Oblio was keeping her hands still in order for her nails to be painted.

Luce laughed it off silently, thinking that she was being silly and not thinking straight. As soon as he finished painting her thumb's nail, he twisted the top part tightly and checked on his lunch. The scent was wonderful and zesty, and it looked like a professional chef's course. He took a plate, fork, and napkin just in case, and placed it on the counter beside where Luce is sitting.

"Here," Oblio spoke up, his head turning to Luce taking a piece of chicken with a fork, "have the first bite." Luce turned her head to the piece of chicken and took the fork from Oblio and tested it out, her expression changed from calm to impressed.

"My God, that's good!" Luce replied, which gave Oblio encouragement to try it out himself. Taking a bite of it, he nodded in agreement. While he was silently enjoying his meal, the doorbell ring, so Luce stood up and headed to the door. During that time of the day, that means a package has arrived. But when Luce opened the door, no one was there, and when she looked at the handle from the outside, an envelope was there. Oblio looked at Luce who just finished his meal, put his silverware in the sink, and crossed his arms, hoping to have an answer.

"Something about DCI came in the mail," Luce said, answering by the look of his posture while opening the envelope and she carefully looked at it. "This Friday at two o'clock, there will be a party that everyone's looking forward to," Luce read, scanning through the letter slowly while reading it silently now. "...be there if you want the time of your life and bring your friends to add the fun." When she finished, she put the letter on the coffee table and grinned. "Another party, huh? That means shopping will have to happen."

"Did it say where it will be?" Oblio asked, taking the letter from the table. Luce shrugged, getting her phone and started texting on the couch.

"When I was scanning it, I didn't see anything. All it said is that they'll sent the address tomorrow. And it also mentioned that we have to show off at least one routine, if we want to."

"There's actually one more routine that we must go over," Oblio elaborated. "We'll do that before the party and we can decide which one we'll do."

"What's the other one you have in mind?" Luce asked. The bluenette smiled smugly, thinking it would be a little bit of fun to mess with her for a bit.

"'Lapdance' by N.E.R.D.," he said calmly.

"I like that song, it does sound fun and-" She stopped herself, dropping her phone on her lap and look straight up at her crew partner. "What?! But the lyrics in the third verse are dirty, and what if I'm wearing a skirt and we picked that song?" Luce never looked that confused before, which made Oblio chuckled softly.

"I'm kidding. I don't usually do that, but I wouldn't use that song in a party either. The song I have is 'Hella Good'." Luce sighed in relief; finally, a song that doesn't mean being sexy.

"That may not be too bad," Luce replied. "Everyone can use some dance punk." Oblio nodded in agreement, right before his phone vibrated. He looked at the message he received, so he took his jacket that Luce used to shelter herself from the rain the day they started their first rehearsal, put his phone in his pocket, and started to head off.

"I guess I'll be heading off. See you Friday morning," he said to her.

"Wait!" Luce said, heading up to him with her hand aiming to land on his shoulder, but instead, his wrist felt it. She blinked from what she did before Oblio turned his head around. "I want to thank you, for taking care of me and knowing what it's like to not have a mother." She revealed a small smile, hoping he would give one back. And he did.

He flashed one with his blue eyes shining with the help of the light from the chandelier. "Let me know when you're ready, and I'll pick up by then," he spoke up when Luce let go of his wrist to let him go. Luce nodded and watched him leave. He's someone who truly understands her, and she felt thankful for that. Having a friend like him will strengthen the bond of the Lightning Crew, which makes Luce feel more excited for the upcoming party in two days. When her phone rang, Luce checked it, showing that's Emilia calling, so she answered it without a second thought.

"Hey, Emilia, how about we do some shopping tomorrow? I think it would be the good time to do so."

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**~Chapter Twelve coming soon...~**

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**********************I am either squealing from the cuteness in this chapter, or laughing about what's going to happen after this chapter. XD I got a scene that I've got from a friend, and I'm never going back. XD**

**********************There's something interesting about Oblio, and that would be his heritage. At first, I thought he was Japanese because of his love of poetry and some hints of Buddhism. But then, Chinese came into the picture, because his last name (and to get it out of the way, Luce doesn't know his last name or anything else beyond that, including his father) is Chinese. At first, I felt sad because I love Japanese culture and everything else about Japan, but I prefer Chinese food over Japanese, and my mom said that I looked like a China doll. XD My dad's been to China, so I guess that's pretty cool. :3**

**********************I don't know whether to put the next chapter as filler or not: it's just a ladies' day out shopping for the DCI party, so you think about it. :) I'm so excited for whatever's going to happen next here, and I hope y'all will be too! :D**

**************Be sure to review before you close out of this story~. It helps me with my motivation for this story!**


	12. Girls' Day Out

**************Man, this is a short chapter. D: Not like I would make it ten thousand words long, but I didn't have great ideas for this chapter, but I did research for it and added some humor I hope can get a chuckle out of you. I thought I was going to upload this yesterday, but I've been sooooo busy that I've lost track of time and for being busy. But here I am~. I'm also almost a fifty reviews, so can we make that happen? :D**

**************All right now, time to get this chapter out of the way~, even though it's filler. Yes, I confirmed it. Just kidding. XD I think that there are some certain characters in the DC world that needs some time on the screen, or in this case, words. I feel bad that I didn't get to put them in a lot of chapters as I hope, but they will be on here and hopefully more to come. :) Enjoy. :D**

**************DCFan4ever: I agree. They deserve some happy time after their dark moments in life. :) **

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**~Chapter Twelve: Girls' Day Out~**

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Tomorrow is the party of the life time for those who are invited to DCI's party. That usually meant getting ready and rehearse, but you can even have fun by chatting and go crazy, just without alcohol and drugs. For Luce and her friends, they have to shop in order to live the life of a party animal. One of them, Dare, is an expert, and she knows how to give a party, despite being drunk one time. Emilia has the most energy to be a party goer, so she will upstage anyone in her crew's way.

They're not the only ones who are attending the party; Taye and her sister, Lil' T will bring their sassy attitudes and confidence to liven up the party. Hell, even Miss Aubrey is going. She has the beauty and attention when she reunites with Angel to show off their classy dance moves. Through their, well, more likely, her choreography, it can hit the lights and show the crowd their way to the dance floor. For today, it shall be a girls' day out.

Emilia parked her car at the closet spot to the mall entrance, and out comes Luce and Dare. Luce is just wearing normal clothes, but Dare is testing out her outfit she made called "DIY Couture". Something about that outfit seems surprising, more likely her long arm warmers that are two feet past her hands, but she cut out the part where her thumbs meet, so that she can grab something with no problem. Not only that, her pants are hanging down loose, her belt is undone, and it shows off her black bikini bottom, just a bit. At a party, it's acceptable, but being in public, boy, she better be careful.

Taye and Lil'T were waiting at the doors to the mall, and when they see the three ladies at their car, they waved to them to get their attention. Noticing, Luce, Dare, and Emilia head over to their direction and greeted each other with optimism in their voices.

"Where is Aubrey?" Taye asked, checking the parking lot through her cheetah print sunglasses. "She should know the sale is starting in five minutes."

"Maybe the princess is fashionably late?" Emilia responded, chuckling while crossing her arms.

"It's probably something she's good at," Luce added, right before she spot a limo coming their way. Finally, Aubrey headed out of the vehicle and said something to the driver before heading off. When she noticed the faces on the ladies', that means she has something to answer correctly.

"Girl, what took you so long?" Lil' T asked. The red-head fluffed her curls carefully, feeling it's volume.

"My hair takes two hours to fix, so that's why I was almost late," she replied coolly. Emilia rolled her eyes, having to hear the same story like the last time they did a shopping spree. Dare sling her arms around Luce and Emilia's shoulders, grinning.

"Okay, now that she's here, it's time for the shopping to begin!" she chirped, taking them with her to the mall, with the rest following behind. The sale lasts for two hours at basically almost every store, so she was right to rush them so that they can get what they want and beat others to it. The first store the six went to was Hot Topic, which would be ironic for all of them except Luce, because the place is too dark for their style, but their accessories and such are at good prices, they can pretty much get as much as they want, but they have to be careful in order to save their money for other stuff.

Luce picked up a pair of turquoise fishnet gloves, Blackheart dark alley nail polish, two pairs of shirts and a white lace up mini skirt with Batman leggings. She knows what to shop and the deals thanks to her mail alerts from the store itself. Aubrey and Taye picked up a couple of lip glosses, while Dare found jewelry that she felt would look good on her with her outfit she's displaying. Lil' T and Emilia can only find shoes, eye shadow, and lipstick.

When they were done there, they went to Abercrombie & Fitch, where Emilia and probably Aubrey can find some clothes that will suit their styles. The others only bought the perfume since they were either done or just waiting for the next store to check on. One of them noticed that one of the models looked a lot like Bodie, with the yellow plaid shirt with most of the buttons undone, and the shorts looking ripped just a bit, and his hair looking slightly wet.

Taye tapped Emilia on the shoulder before she and Aubrey went to the checkout. The brunette turned around and saw what Taye pointed to, and she blushed a second later, then she looked at the other three who seemed distracted by the appeal Bodie brought in the portrait.

"Girl, you must be lucky to be in a crew with him," Taye said, winking to add emphasis. She may have Mo as her amazing boyfriend, but she thinks Bodie's sexy just as much as him.

"He did it for charity!" Emilia replied, looking away. Aubrey was busy swiping her credit card, but when she finished, she looked at the picture, giving it a humble chuckle and small smirk.

"I'd love to spend a day with him at my yacht. Maybe at High Tide Beach, we can soak up the sun together," Aubrey added, carrying her bag and turned to look at Emilia's face for a response.

"Back off! He's mine!" Emilia accidentally confessed, gasping after she noticed it. Dare and Luce giggled, giving each other a high five. Lil' T may be thirteen, but she has to say something about that.

"You are lucky that he is your dance partner. He's hot with two T's!" As soon as Emilia finished paying for her bag of clothes, she sighed dramatically.

"If we see anything that has to do with our crew partners or boyfriends, I get the right to tease you all." Everyone except Aubrey agreed nonchalantly, as they head off to the food court to take a break and have lunch. They decided to get Chick-Fil-A since it's cheaper than the other food chains.

"Seems someone isn't in the mood for eat more chicken," Emilia teased while putting her food on the table and taking a sip of her soda.

"Don't start with me, Emilia," Aubrey scolded, but when she sat down, she looked like she was in pain.

"You okay, Aubrey?" Luce asked, sitting down with her food placed on the table. The red-head huffed, and not because of Luce asking.

"Stupid Mother Nature," she mumbled. "You got pills or at least a tampon?" she asked. The brunette looked through her purse to see a small box of Pamprin and a Tampax tampon. She gave Aubrey a couple of caplets and gave her an extra tampon. Finished with her medicine, Aubrey thanked Luce and headed to the ladies' restroom.

"Nurse Luce to the rescue!" Dare said cheerfully. The young Flash4wrd dancer seemed curious about the whole show she was forced to watch.

"So what's getting your period like, y'all?" she asked curiously.

"It's a living hell!" they all replied. Lil' T sighed and munched on her waffle fries. At least she won't be the only one dealing with it. After that moment of awkwardness, Aubrey appeared and finished her lunch, which means another place to shop before the sale stops. One store that everyone in the group loves was saved for last, and it was Icing.

It may be a brighter version of Hot Topic for when it comes to makeup, but it's actually worth it because of the quality. The jewelry and accessories were also classy yet spunky at the same time, making it a mix in between the crews' choice of fashion and whatnot. Dare loved this place so much, that where she got the idea to add beaded bracelets to her outfit. She pretty much just almost bought dozens of them and smiled at the cashier, who seemed surprised by her outfit and display. When she was done paying for her stuff, she received wide eyes from the other five.

"What? There's nothing wrong with adding something to your creative outfit," she said to them, defending her new bracelets. Well, they gotta give her credit; she made the outfit for God's sake and it must have taken her days and a lot of drinking gojiberry smoothies to get it done. When one of their phones beeped, it means that the sale is over, so it's now time to get home or get together with their crew partners.

They all said their goodbyes; Aubrey finding her limo at the spot where she was dropped of and heading in there, Taye and Lil' T went to their convertible, hoping in the seats, and the last three heading back to Emilia's car. The time was 2:00 P.M., so they decided it was best to call it for a day.

Emilia dropped off Luce at her house, waving to her along with Dare before driving off. The brunette opened the door and saw Claire making dinner just like usual.

"How was it?" she asked while cutting up pieces of steak.

"It was good. Thank God the sale was today or I would have to ruse my old clothes," Luce replied. She can smell what's cooking and it was good. "Why are you cooking dinner early?"

"A lot of things have been keeping me busy ever since your dad has been to France. While you'll be at your DCI party, he told me that I need to be in his office to check on his stuff. Apparently, he doesn't trust the guards while they're doing the job." Luce chuckled, since her dad is very concerned about his belongings and all.

Her phone ringed, which could mean one thing at this time. Luce wasted no time and carefully rushed to her phone to check her mail. Finally, the address to the party is here. Luce went to the website on her iPhone, and bookmarked the address. With a smile on her face, she headed to her room. Now all she needs to do is assemble what she will wear for tomorrow...

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**~Chapter Thirteen coming soon...~**

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******************Now, to end this, I wish I live in California. D: They have Comic-Con, E3, and Vid-Con. I will attend one of these someday! I'm also adding something different in the next chapter, so it will be interesting to see what's going to happen next. I don't know if I'll be able to update next week, but who knows? I also have the urge to make a prequel to this, before Luce met Oblio and formed Lightning crew, and so forth with whatever my typing thinks of. XD I'm thinking it'll be ten chapters long, and I'm thinking where I should start it. All I know is that around the end, that's where Luce's mom... you know... So should I make a prequel?**

******************Please don't forget to leave reviews! :D**


	13. Final Farewell?

******This is the one I've been anxiously waiting to upload ever since I've planned this story. By the chapter title before you've read this, you're going to wonder what will happen. XD I hope I'm right. A lot of feels are going to be in this, so I hope you enjoy it. :)**

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**~Chapter Thirteen: Final Farewell?~**

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As soon as Luce finished the hip swings in "Hella Good", she did the finishing move afterwards. Oblio nodded for her attempt at the dance, and it seemed to work for her since the song is more feminine than "Body Movin'". With a grin, he gave her a small towel to wipe herself with, since they're outside under the hot sun.

"Here's the plan," Luce spoke up, wiping off her face, "the party says that one person at a time shows off a choreography, but later on, a crew can face off another. We can wait until the time the crews face off."

"Good idea. Since the party is happening now, how long will it take us to get from here to there?"

"From the Planks to the party..." Luce trailed, looking at her bookmarked website on her phone for the address, and scanned it slowly. "It's about a couple of minutes, surprisingly." Oblio raised an eyebrow. It took him a couple of minutes to get to the Planks. "Before we go, how about some ice cream?" Oblio almost didn't hear what she said, which troubled him for the distance from here to the party, which he's not getting the exact location, but for some reason, he knows.

Luce took out five dollars and asked for chocolate mint and Oblio's flavor. She knew the color, but she didn't remember the exact name. When the ice cream finished, Luce took them and gave the blue colored treat to the bluenette. She sat down beside him as they enjoyed their cold treats. Noticing the look on his face, something tells her that he feels troubled. With his sunglasses on, however, she can't tell his expression.

"Oblio, what's wrong?" He jumped slightly, sighing after realizing that Luce was just asking a question. He threw away his ice cream, and he wasn't finished with it.

"It's nothing, really." He stood up and took off his sunglasses, heading to his motorcycle and putting on his helmet. "Let's go. Read to me the address and I'll get us there." This was so sudden; first he felt jumpy when he noticed that it took him a couple of minutes from where he lives to the Planks, and he didn't finish his favorite ice cream. Luce frowned, but followed him and hopped on the bike with him, reading the address before putting her phone up and him starting the engine.

When Oblio stopped the bike and removed his helmet, it was all clear. The party is at a manor far more expensive than Luce's. The brunette was amazed at the party's location, and she seemed excited to get in.

"Diamond! Hey, over here!" Dare yelled yards away with MacCoy at her side. It seems that Luce and Oblio aren't the only ones that just arrived. Luce smiled and waved at them.

"I'll leave you to it while I find a parking spot," Oblio said after she got off the motorcycle, and head off to find a place to park. Dare and MacCoy caught up to Luce and they have giant smirks on their faces.

"A crew seems ready to give it all they got," Luce noted.

"You're right about that, Luce," MacCoy replied. "D-Coy is in the house!"

"Well, not right now because we're still outside," Dare elaborated, giggling afterwards. The three of them headed upstairs to the manor, and when the blond opened one of the two doors, the party was outstandingly enormous. There's around a hundred people in the main hall. It has a bar, two pools, two statues that represent the muses from Greek mythology beside the stairs that swirls at half a circle, and two portraits of a middle-aged man who is about to turn into a senior citizen, and a robot with a red cap on.

As for the crowd, luckily, the music is louder than the screaming cheers of the audience. The song "Rendez-Vu" by Basement Jaxx was playing, so it can only mean one thing: Aubrey and Angel are dancing together as a crew. The song was about over when D-Coy and Luce went through the crowd to see them. When the Latino found Luce and the other two, he brought a smile. Luce ran up to him and hugged him.

"You did great!" Luce said to her best friend.

"Thanks, Luce," he replied. Aubrey went up to them after doing an ending pose that is typical at the end of every performed song.

"It's my choreography after all, so he _has_ to be great, Luce," she informed her. From the corner of her hazel eye, she found Riptide, Flash4wrd, and Hi-Def heading their way. Everyone one is here, except for Oblio. How many people parked behind the manor?

"Hey, Emilia," Bodie said to her when everyone was gathered up. "After this song, let's show the people how we run the show with our dance?" The brunette gave him a fist pump, agreeing with him.

"That reminds me," Mo said, his gaze paying attention to Luce. "Luce, will you show us one of your routines Oblio made?"

"I will, but he's been busy trying to find a place to park."

"There are a lot of cars here, girl," Taye added. "He should have come by here earlier so he wouldn't have a problem." Luce shrugged, agreeing with her. It's been about half an hour and he's still not here. Luce is beginning to feel that he's hiding something, which explains why he's not here.

"Hey, guys, I'll be right back," Luce told them, digging her way through the crowd until she made it to the front doors. _Where are you?_ Luce thought, trying to find her friend. The mansion was just crowded and filled with too much talking. Before she could go through the crowd, she stopped to think of another option. She ran outside, looking at the front of the house. Her eyes through her glasses noticed there was a parking place for vehicles, so she hurried there.

No matter how much she's tiring herself, she won't stop until she finds Oblio. Hell, she would even have to run to the Hollywood sign just to find him, which is pretty damn far. While at the parking lot, it was just her and a lot of cars, which makes it harder, but simple as well. All she had to do was find a motorcycle. Breathing slowly, she continued to find him.

The wind helped her for more oxygen, but not for finding a blue haired man who is secretive like a ninja. She bent down, closed her eyes, and cupped her knees, breathing slowly and deeply to regain her breath. While breathing, she can hear an engine running. She opened her eyes in an instant, recognizing the sound. It was no doubt Oblio's motorbike. To her left, she can see him starting his vehicle. A smile lit up her face, running to him before he could go.

"Oblio!" Luce shouted. Oblio stopped the engine, took of his helmet, and turned his head to look at the woman running up to him. She then panted softly since she was trying to find him. Her face looked confused, but determined also. "Why are you leaving now? What about the upcoming dance we have to show in the building?"

He sighed deeply, smiling at her innocently, yet there was something hidden in that smile. His pale blue eyes watched her carefully, getting why she came to him. Despite the distance between them now, he can see his reflection from Luce's glasses.

"You shouldn't have run to me; you'll waste your energy," he replied, not wanting to answer the first question. Luce gave him a worried look. She can tell by the look on his face that he never wanted to take part in the mansion's party. She gripped her hands into fists and opened her mouth to speak once more.

"You are my dance partner. Please..." She closed her eyes, her shoulders quivering rapidly. "I want to know if you're okay. If it is loneliness that you are aiming to encounter, then let me be alone with you!" Oblio blinked in surprise when she said that, and she _hates_ loneliness. Would she be really able to handle something like that?

_No, Luce,_ he thought to himself, frowning in regret, seeing that Luce might shed tears. _I could never let you be alone after what you've been through. I have to handle what I have to do, but I swear on my mother's grave, I'll come back to you when it's all over._

He stood up from his bike, and placed his hands on her shoulders, helping them to stop moving. Luce loosened her hands and revealed her brown eyes, wondering what he was doing. "Oblio?" she said breathlessly, noticing how close he was. She felt herself trembling, fearing what will happen next.

"Before I go, just close your eyes." Luce used her nose to breathe slowly in and out. She nodded, closing her eyes again, waiting for whatever he was about to do. He looked around, making sure that it was only the two of them outside. Just the two of them and the others staying inside the estate is what will work on his plan. _Good... That means we are not being watched,_ he thought breathing silently in relief.

Oblio looked at her carefully, breathing through his nose slowly. He parted his lips, bringing himself closer to Luce. From all the time he helped her in dance practice, he began to see something artistic about her. She was supportive, caring, and a fast learner. He realized that solitary doesn't have to mean being with just himself. After the time of dancing with her and getting to know her, he had never denied what he began to feel.

He ended up falling in love with _her_.

Luce's heart started to race, despite not knowing what's happening. Her eyes are still closed, but she was nervous. But thanks to Oblio, she knew why she loves to dance, and that is because her mother was a role model to others and she is positive in everything she did to teach her. If she hadn't battled him, then she would still be searching for who would be her dance partner.

But now, Luce found him; a mysterious, quiet, yet kind man who understands her limited loneliness better than anyone.

Oblio's forehead touched Luce's, his eyes heavy-lidded when his lips is so close to hers. He lightly gripped her shoulders, making sure she won't leave their moment. She gasped quietly, rather almost mutely, which helped him gain access to have their lips merely an inch apart.

He stopped, hearing a ringtone from one of them. He quickly moved away, opening his eyes and seeing that it was Luce's phone ringing. She opened her eyes and looked at her phone, revealing that Emilia sent a text her.

"It's Emilia," she told him with a sad smile. She turned around to head back. "I'll just let you go." Oblio couldn't leave her right now. He didn't have time to do what he was planning to do earlier, so he hurried to stop her by grabbing her hand. Luce slowly tilted her head to look at the bluenette, curious. It was the same hand he felt when Luce stopped him for a moment before he left her house when she was feeling better.

"Don't go now," he said to her, gripping her hand tighter. The smoothness of her hand was extravagant to the touch, especially when Luce didn't even dare to remove her hand. "What I wanted to say was... thank you... for being a great dance partner." He moved his hand away from hers gently, making Luce look straight at him to see what else he wants. Oblio looked at her face and carefully watched her brown eyes glisten. "I have to leave right now, but I hope to see you... someday."

Without looking at her, he hopped on his motorcycle, starting the engine and putting on his helmet. Luce watched him as he head off at rough speed. If she could, she would tell him to take her with him, but she's needed with Emilia and the others. She went back inside, seeing that they were expecting her.

"Diamond, there you are!" Dare said with joy. "Now you can show the routine you and Oblio created, right?" Luce stopped, feeling uneasy since she shared her goodbye with him. She smiled despite that, but on the inside she felt guilty.

"Yeah... About that, he had to leave. He wouldn't explain, but it sounded urgent and rushed. So, sadly I can't do it; please forgive me." The others looked at her with frowns, while Dare just smiled and patted her back, heading up to her to do so.

"Don't worry, Luce," Angel said. "Maybe next time." After he spoke, the music stopped as if on cue.

"May the famous doctor have your attention please?" a man aided with a wireless microphone asked. Everyone got their attention to the speaker. It was a slightly old man, but is young enough to still work. "I am very sad to tell you that the party is over. I have urgent business to take care of that requires my deep concentration. I however, thank you for joining my little party and hopefully I get to have another. Goodbye for now."

Fulfilling his words, everyone left. People were confused from that, since the party would've last until four, and it was only three.

"I have a bad feeling about that guy," Glitch told the others. "Why would he send us invitations then stop the party when it has just begun?" The others looked at him curiously. They looked at each other with shrugs, then looked back at the Korean.

"Maybe it was an emergency meeting?" MacCoy replied.

"That maybe so; he owns Tan Dance Corporation after all," Emilia agreed. When the gang finally made it outside, they went their separate ways, and that was when Luce realized she doesn't have a ride since Oblio left.

"Hey, Angel, can you take me home?" she asked, catching up to him before he was out of her sight. He smiled and nodded at her, starting his car with the help of his keys and got in along with her. It only took the car ride ten minutes just to get her home, and Luce was surprised that the place was close to hers.

Angel noticed how quiet she's been through the car ride. When he had the chance to stop at a red light, he looked at her and realized that she was looking at her window, checking on the view. The Latino doesn't like it when someone breaks her heart, but he doesn't know Luce's emotions of right now.

While heading home, she began to think back of what happened before Oblio left. Why did he tell her to close her eyes? Why did she felt his forehead against hers and his hands holding her shoulders? In fact, she could have sworn that she almost felt his lips on hers. She began to blush, opening her mouth to utter a small gasp. Was Oblio trying to kiss her?

Angel heard it before he pulled up to Luce's driveway. "What's wrong?" he asked worriedly.

"N-Nothing, Angel." She doesn't want anyone to know of it. "I thought I lost my phone back there, but then I realized that it was in my pocket," she lied. The Latino can tell that she's lying, but something tells him that he shouldn't ask anymore questions. Opening her car door, she left without a goodbye, hurrying into her house. Before Angel could do anything, he decided that he should think of wanting to talk to her so that he can be of assistance. Since he's been friends with her for so long, he can tell what feelings she's having.

Luce went upstairs without paying attention to Claire or anything that was in the kitchen or on TV. Due to the temperature in her room, she removed her shirt, leaving her in a black tank top. Even though it was 3:30, Luce thought that it would be good to take a nap and clear her mind.

When she went to put her phone on the charger, she noticed a piece of paper on her bed. She parted her lips to sigh, never knowing that would happen. Once she came to her bed to see what was in the paper, her phone started to vibrate. She looked quickly and noticed that it was an unknown number, which she would never answer unless if they try to call her again. Luce let the ringtone keep going until it ended in a missed call, and finally picked up the letter.

It didn't say who it was from, but it's shown rather folded hamburger style. Luce unfolded it and looked at the supposed "letter". It was handwritten, and at the edges of the paper, there were small, yet creative drawings to complete the letter, the one that caught her attention was the Egyptian language used on the top left corner, and the one that has a small sketch of someone she knows. She took a deep breath before reading it.

_I apologize for my leaving when you needed me. If you are reading this, then that means I am at a place where I will be safe for now. I wanted to explain this situation to you, but if I do, then you would end up in his mess. There were so many things I want to share with you; you make my days bright as the moon would be at night. With that, I am proud to call you my peer, someone that I haven't had in my lifetime. To end this possible last note to you, I leave a quote from Rilke that shows how much I thank you for being who you are, and for being the dance partner that understands what I truly am._

_"She is the heart that strikes a whole octave. After her, all songs are possible."_

Luce almost felt tears when the letter showed its true feelings from the sender. To make sure her answers are clear, she hurried and went down the stairs to see if Claire knows about this. Heading down the stairs with careful speed, she found Claire making dinner with a smile on her face. "Hey, Claire, were you aware of someone coming by here earlier?" she asked determinedly.

The blonde looked at her with a curious look, but a light bulb appeared on top of her head. "Oh yeah; your dancer partner told me he was in a hurry, so he went to your room to give you something. Is there something wrong?" Luce attempted to tell her that Oblio might be in trouble, but then remembered that she would be in someone's "plan". She shook her head, leading herself back to her room.

Just what is going on with the bluenette? Was he caught in something he didn't do? Is something troubling him? Luce's head is full of many questions, she wanted them answered right now. Anything to help her friend would be the price to do so, but if he is away, what would happen?

Luce grabbed her iPhone and hurriedly dialed Oblio's number, hoping that he would answer. It's ringing, but ringing for a rather long time. It felt like forever, but when her patience almost went away, she prepared to press end on the phone, but a voice popped up.

_"Leave a message for Oblio,"_ his voice mail picked up. Luce frowned, disappointed that he didn't get the call. Maybe he is still driving on his motorcycle? _"I will return your call when I become... available."_ Once the beep ended, she breathed in and out silently before sending him a message.

"Hey... Um, it's me, Oblio. I received your letter, and I'm glad that you think of me as a friend. The quote from Rilke was very interesting; it means that-" She stopped herself, realizing Oblio's feelings was in that quote. Her eyes widen, her hand holding her phone shaking, her heart beating right out of her chest like what it would do after dancing for a couple of hours. _Oblio... you really...? _"You... respect me. I hope to see you soon, and... please be safe." She ended her message, looking at the quote from Rilke in the letter.

She started to cry silently, but never realized it until a couple of tears trailed down to the letter. She blinked, noticing herself shedding tears. "You... really are that way for me, aren't you, Oblio? It's a shame..." She smiled despite her tears. "...because you had to leave without warning; I understand your feelings, however, I don't know whether or not if I have the same feelings for you."

"Luce!" Claire said from downstairs. The brunette stopped her tears and got her attention to the blonde. "Angel wants to talk to you!" At first Luce thought that she didn't want anyone to know about what happened between her and Oblio, but maybe a good friend like Angel will be able to help.

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**~Chapter Fourteen coming soon...~**

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**I am so happy about this chapter. Not only is it the start of where Dance Central 2 would be, but I'm adding in stuff that is pre-Dance Central 3 towards on! Will Luce and Oblio meet again? Will everything be the same of Luce found out the truth? Will I have another Vitamin Water? (I had a Vitamin Water while typing this, so yeah... XD)**

**Leaving reviews makes me a happy writer! Please review to find out what's going to happen in the next chapter!**


	14. Bitter Decision

******************Starting this bloody, dreadful Monday, I have school (yay, me -_-), and my updating may take a bit longer, but I guarantee you, I will still be writing more chapters of this. I don't know how many chapters this will have, but I'm officially going to do a prequel of Dancing Diamond! :D It will be ten chapters long, it'll take place at the end of Luce's and friends' junior year, so sadly, Oblio won't be in this. :( I might make him be in cameos, but he won't be recognized or his face won't be shown. So by that, he'll have his motorcycle helmet on all the time. XD ********************Depending on how the progress will be, I might upload next week (this story, not the prequel).**

******************Now for this new chapter! This is more of a Oblio based chapter, continuing from what would've happened after the outro of Dance Central, and the special moment between him and Luce. ;) And maybe after this one, I'll make one of Luce based, right after Claire told her that Angel wants to talk to her. Enjoy~! :)**

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**~Chapter Fourteen: Bitter Decision~**

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"Meeting you was fate, becoming your friend was a choice, but falling in love with you was beyond my control," by Unknown. That quote represents the bluenette's cycle of knowing Luce. Being close to her like that was not in his control. It was beyond his control because he resides to solitude, but the light she brings gives him the warmth and love that a person should receive. His lips touched hers by a bit, but he failed to kiss her to express his feelings.

Who knew that after experiencing that feeling a few times, time would fly by so fast at nine in the night? When he received a compliment from Luce when she used his hand to cup her forehead, it made him felt a bit weak than he has ever been. When he felt her heart to his, he wanted to keep hearing it forever. But more importantly, when he almost kissed her, and if he did, he would never, ever want to let go of her. His feelings were never budged, until Luce came into the picture.

Because of her, there's no doubt about Oblio's true feelings. He is in love with a woman who brightened his world, despite running away to face his conflicts. What will his heart do if he sees her? Beat louder than his sense? Or remain quiet like him?

When he thought about her words to him before he left the manor where DCI had the party, it made him felt guilty. The reason why is because she cares for her friends, including him, and she believes that no one should feel alone, even if they're happy with it. It struck him like lightning, and one of her words she spoke of haven't left his mind ever since he drove off.

_"I want to know if you're okay. If it is loneliness that you are aiming to encounter, then let me be alone with you!"_

He could never let her go through that. Never. Seeing her happy is the only way he can feel content. Her laugh, smile, and warm personality are the reasons why he fell in love with her. Despite his own conflicts, she was caring enough to give him motivation to finish what he must accomplish. For now, she must be with her friends in order for her to be provided by happiness and love.

But what if he did tell her to leave the estate early? Would she believe him? Would she think he's gone insane? He couldn't bring her to his own conflicts because she doesn't deserve the feeling of guilt or sadness. His heart aches for her, but his mind drives him to achieve his goals.

Oblio rode through town to get away from what would've happened. As much as he didn't want to leave Luce, he had to get away. What was bad is that he couldn't tell her about what was going on. He has to hide, or disguise himself. Would it even work, though?

Heading to a skyscraper, he parked his motorcycle to a place where it wouldn't be discovered and went to a telephone booth. Picking up the corded phone, he hurriedly looked around him to make sure no one is looking or at his sight. Right after he let out his request, the booth began to lower down like an elevator, which turned out to be one.

He waited patiently for the elevator to get to the final sub-level. Even if he is patient, he can't wait any longer to tell a couple of people what has happened. Finally arriving, the booth door opened, Oblio seeing the people working on futuristic computers and some that are dancing. In front of him were two adults that appeared to be in their mid-twenties, having a conversation of their current plan.

"Oblio," the brunette spoke up, noticing the bluenette across from her and the other agent. "This is so sudden. We haven't assigned you a mission yet." Oblio nodded, but sighed and crossed his arms, looking away from them for a second.

"I know Lima, but this is really urgent and mustn't be stopped until it's done." He frowned looking back at them.

"What's going on, Oblio?" the African-American asked. From his jacket pocket, the bluenette took out a letter that was similar to the one Luce obtained from the mail, and showed it to the two adults.

"This letter I got from you seems to be fake. It looked real as if you really sent it, but a couple of days ago, I believe someone hacked into the DCI system and made fake copies of letters to dancers to meet at Dr. Tan's estate. I luckily got away before anyone suspicious spotted me." Lima went to him to take the letter, and she observed it carefully.

"So that's why the computer was acting up, Rasa," Lima told her partner. Rasa nodded, but right now he looked determined.

"What are you trying to explain, then, Oblio? Who is Dr. Tan exactly?" Rasa asked the bluenette. Oblio gripped his hand into a fist, preparing himself to tell them a dark fact.

"Dr. Tan... is my father," he said coldly. Rasa and Lima widen their eyes in shock. "Since my mother was never around for my life, despite it not being her fault, he wanted us to rule the world of dance, eliminating freestyle. I knew from the start that dance is suppose to have the heart of creation, but his ego avoids him seeing that. I argued about that with him, and then as of today, I started off living on my own. I eventually do my best to sneak into my room for needs whenever he's not at the manor. But if he sees me in the future, then it'll be too late, and Dance Central will fall."

Everything went silent, even the music stopped. Rasa and Lima looked at each other with sympathy, later looking back at the Asian.

"It seems that we're going to need more agents," Rasa added. Lima nodded, crossing her arms.

"Good thing we have the cameras around Central City. So far, five crews seemed to be the best in the town, along with Lightning. If we need them, we'll just meet them, simple as that." As Rasa nodded in agreement, Oblio looked around, then at what the other agents are doing. They seemed to be working on a plan that is something they can do, but he digresses.

"In order to get away from his plans, I will probably have to stay... there," the bluenette stated. Rasa raised an eyebrow, adjusting his tie again.

"What's 'there'?" he asked.

"The Glitterati skyscraper: Penthaüs," Oblio elaborated. "I've known them since I was a kid, so maybe just as long as my father doesn't find me there, I'll be fine for now."

"We forgot about them, but they seemed to be in control of they do," Rasa said. "How about this, Oblio: we have a room that you can stay the night in, and for whatever you think it's right, we'll do it. It'll take us all night to research your father, but the important thing we can do is make sure you aren't in his sight." Oblio nodded, and before he can go the elevator to the second ground level, where the rooms are, he checked his phone. He has a missed call and voice mail, and that means one thing: Luce found his letter, and/or she's extremely worried about him.

He touched the voice mail and placed his phone to his ear to listen.

_"Hey... Um, it's me, Oblio. I received your letter, and I'm glad that you think of me as a friend. The quote from Rilke was very interesting; it means that-"_ Oblio stopped his movement and waited for her to finish. Something about the pause made him think that she found out his feelings for him. _"You... respect me. I hope to see you soon, and... please be safe." _The bluenette frowned, hearing her voice filled with worry.

"I'm sorry," he said softly. "Unless they found you, I don't think we'll ever meet again." He headed to the elevator, just when he heard heels clicking with the help of the floor.

"Oblio," the DCI assistant said to him before he pressed the up button from the elevator. He turned around to see Lima, who seemed a bit chirped up, despite knowing about Oblio's dark secret. "We were the ones who told you that you needed a dance partner, so put it this way: you don't have to tell Luce about Dr. Tan, but she's there for you and you trust her." She raised an eyebrow for emphasis. "You do, right, Oblio?"

"I rather trust her than anyone who lurks in the dark like him. I may fit in darkness more, but she's the light that brought warmth and kindness." Right before the elevator can close to take him to the level above him, Lima went to Rasa with a mini pad.

"Rasa, we have to find Luce so that she can help him with this. This sounds serious and with that in the way, the crew throwdown will have to wait until we put Dr. Tan to justice. So Riptide, Flash4wrd, Lu$h, and Hi-Def, shall keep everything calm by holding challenges for their crews, while for D-Coy, we can't just leave them behind." The elevator rang, signaling that it will go up. Oblio waits calmly and when it opened, the place he's sent to have a hallway that's obviously purple and black due to the headquarters being themed with those colors.

The bluenette went to the room labeled "A1", and it is like a hotel room, but more promising and a lot like a five-star hotel room. He took off his shoes and socks, placing them under the bed. He then took off his jacket and put it on the other bed. He took hold of his phone and started to dial Luce's number. For a few seconds of it ringing, Oblio wondered if she is sleeping or doesn't have her phone in her presence.

_"Oh, hi there, this is Luce's number you've dialed. I'm sorry for not reaching your call, but just leave a message and I hope to get back to you." _Once the phone beeped, Oblio silently breathed in and out before speaking. Maybe he should trust her in this. Once he heard a beep, he began to speak his message.

"Luce... I hope you can forgive me for leaving, but... I need you and D-Coy to meet me at High Tide Beach tomorrow at ten. I'll tell all of you everything you need to know." Despite not knowing much of D-Coy, he needs to help DCI in a way so that they won't be the ones just being a dance crew.

Before he went to his bed to sleep, he turned off his phone, lowered the lights and crossed his arms behind his neck and lowered his eyes. If he dreams of Luce, it'll represent peace and happiness, but if dreams of his father, well... let's just say it's the opposite of her...

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******************~Chapter Fifteen coming soon...~**

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**************************I wish this was longer, but I've run out of ideas and with the fact that I have school Monday, I have to get ready and all that good stuff. I'm thinking of having the Glitterati shown later, because before Lima told him about having Luce to help him, Oblio would have stayed there, so they'll be in this later. And then Oblio changed his mind, because we know that the Glitterati are strange. XD Now, I hope that I can update next week, but if now, then expect the other week! See you soon! ^_^**

**************************Please leave a review! :D**


	15. Help From A Friend

**The first weeks of school were a success! I'm glad that I was able to see my friends again, aside from open house, but assignments have been screaming when it comes to school. I even got my class ring, and it looks gorgeous! :D I'm sorry that it took two weeks to get this updated. :( But I'm back again, once again! ^_^ While I was gone, I fell in love... with Daft Punk. Seriously, they're geniuses. Not like I know them now, I found out about them ever since I played Tap Tap Revenge on my old iPod Touch... which is missing, but I have my awesome iPhone 5. Their new album is perfection, and with my upcoming paycheck, I'll buy DJ Hero 1 and 2, and maybe Interstella 5555.**

**For this story, I will officially say that one: it has over a thousand views (thank you so much!) and two: this story will probably have around thirty chapters, and an epilogue might be added, so basically thirty-one. That might change when it comes to planning on what will happen, and I will say right now that I don't plan to do a sequel, but a prequel will be in the works once I get to it. I don't think it'll get as much as reviews as this, but regardless, I'd love to write a story of Luce and her past before her mother's death. Enough of this note, so here's a new chapter!**

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**~Chapter Fifteen: Help From A Friend~**

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Luce went downstairs to see Angel, after hearing from Claire that he wants to talk to her. What could happen since he's here? The only problem for him being at her house is that in about three hours, he has to be at his poker place. Luce has been there before, and when that happened, she nearly gambled at least half of her money when it was needed for lunch money at school. Luce chuckled off that memory, and continued on heading down the stairs. She's just glad that he's good at that other than dancing.

Nonetheless, she found him beside Claire. The blonde left them be, heading to the kitchen to fix some drinks. Angel's brown eyes looked at Luce with sympathy. With that, he opened his arms. Luce raised an eyebrow, wondering why he's doing that.

"Come here," he said sweetly, his smile trying to be warm and welcoming. Without a second to think, Luce went to his arms and embraced him, figuring out why he's doing this. "_Chica_, you've been acting different before I took you back home. You know that lying to me won't do any good." He planted a friendly kiss on top of her head, and placed his hand at her hair, and the other at the back of her neck. "Let's talk about it."

_You're always sweet, even if I lie to you,_ Luce thought, watching her best friend leave the embrace in order to sit down on her living room couch. He patted a seat next to him, so Luce head there and sat down beside him. Once she got there, Angel placed an arm around her and helped her put her head on his shoulder. Luce can tell that she's probably going to cry about this, but she wants to be strong, since it's something she's never felt before in her life.

"What happened when you went outside during the party earlier?" Angel asked. Luce took a deep breath, and right before saying something, Claire put down three drinks on the coffee table in front of the couch, one with her usual glass of wine, and glasses of tea for them. Luce should let Claire know her of this as well, since after all, she's her bodyguard, and her dad isn't around until two more months.

"Well, it actually started after we had ice cream to cool off after we got done with our routines. It seems that by the way he was acting, he was shocked because of where the party was located. And then I lost track of time, which I felt bad for because Oblio told me he was going to find a parking spot, but... I think he was lying. When I confronted him, he was already about to go, and he didn't want me to worry. I told him that if he wanted to be alone, then I wanted to be alone with him together, because we both have mothers who can never hold us or tell us that they love us ever again..."

Angel frowned. Despite having both his parents alive and happy, he can connect with that because he lost his grandfather a couple of years ago. That's why he always goes to his grandmother's house to support her and take her to the local Catholic church she cares for so much.

"Darling," Claire said pitifully, placing a hand on Luce's shoulder and started to rub it to give her comfort. "Is that all that's bothering you?" Luce shook her head, sitting up to take a sip of the refreshing tea. She was glad that Claire added a little bit of mint in it because it helps her when she's feeling down. She parted her lips to sigh, thinking for a second to say the rest of her last moments with Oblio.

"No, Claire, there's still more. Right before I thought I was going to cry because of the pain he went through, he placed his hands on my shoulders and told me to close my eyes. I did so, but I honestly didn't know what was going to happen... until I believe I felt a bit of his lips touching mine. It was barely a kiss, because my phone ringed due to a text I got from Emilia, and I felt bad for that to happen, but he seemed okay with it, and he told me his goodbyes and head off. I... was even hoping for him to kiss me, because I've been having these feelings I've never experienced in my life."

Claire gasped softly, frowning with a nod. Since she's an adult, she doesn't want to embarrass Luce about what she's feeling. "I understand Luce. You've told me that if it happens, I'll help you anyway I can." Luce nodded, using that gesture as saying thanks. Angel didn't get the girl code they're using, so since he's her childhood friend, he wanted to ask her.

"Is it possible... that you're in love with him?" Angel asked, picking up his glass to drink his tea. Luce sighed, and decided it was the right time to confess her true feelings. She took off her glasses, and close her eyes to think deeply and thoroughly of what to say to that response. She opened her eyes a few seconds afterward, ready to speak.

"I think so, but before I even met him, I chose to be asexual, especially ever since puberty hit for me. That's why I refrain from going out with guys so that I can focus on dancing and my future. However, when Oblio and I grew closer, a warm feeling began to grow inside me." Luce can feel her face heat up when she's about to say the next sentence. "Even when he was wearing that tank top with mesh and those tight pants, I kinda lost it on the inside because he looked godly in them." Luce shook her head after saying that, giving herself a face palm. "Stupid hormones..."

Claire patted her back for comfort. "It's natural Luce. Don't blame yourself."

"Thanks," Luce said softly. "But the thing is... I don't know if I'll see him again." She frowned, resting her crossed arms on her thighs. "What would happen if I didn't stop him from kissing me? What would happen if Emilia hadn't sent me a text message?"

Now all was silent. Those two questions she asked were something that would've changed the situation. If Oblio did kiss Luce when he had the chance, what would happen between them? Despite her feelings, would she enjoy it, or be confused?

The brunette stood up, leaving her drink behind. The blonde and the other brunette looked at each other in confusion, due to the questions she spoke of. Luce headed to her room, but the conversation isn't over.

"Where are you going?" Angel asked, catching up to her. He gently grabbed her wrist, stopping her from moving. When Angel touched her wrist, it reminded her of Oblio stopping her before he left. Once she saw his brown eyes, he's still have that expression of feeling pity for her.

"I can't lie to you, but I was going to get my phone, but then again, I was going to head on to bed, but that can wait, I guess," Luce answered, smiling softly and let Angel's hand let go of her wrist. "How about some pizza? I'm starving, and you can't head over to Poker Plaza with an empty stomach." The Latino nodded, agreeing with her statement.

Before they were going to ask Claire, she was already on the phone, meaning that she heard them. Surprisingly, she ordered two boxes of pizza, one of each for them. It's her treat, and since she already had her dinner, she got Luce's order, and had to ask Angel what he would like on his pizza. It only took the deliveryman ten minutes to get to their address, and Claire went to the front door to pay for the good stuff. Once that was over, Angel and Luce can enjoy their dinner.

Luce had chicken, red pepper, and bacon on her pizza, while Angel's have mushrooms, hamburger meat, and jalapenos. Besides hot wings, Luce loves the pizza from Pizza Hut, because they use fresh ingredients and have the best employees in a restaurant. Whenever people are at her place for a hangout or whatnot, she would order pizza on the phone. But right about now, people have lately been doing it on the Xbox, which is great for technology wise, but calling is easier because some people don't have a console or internet. Seriously, can't the console just be for gaming and all that good stuff?

Right when they can't eat anymore slices in the boxes, Luce and Angel rubbed their bellies as if they're were pregnant... even though it's physically impossible for the Latino, the two noticed how much the time has passed, and that means Angel has to leave for his poker night. And before he could head out the front door, Luce caught up behind him and wrapped her arms around him. Angel chuckled and smiled, placing his hands on hers where it lies on his full stomach.

"Thanks for talking with me. I wouldn't know what to think without your help." Just when Luce unwrapped her arms around him, Angel turned around and ruffled Luce's black hair for a second.

"You're welcome. Just call me when needed," he replied. Taking his pizza box, the Latino headed to his car, and drove off with a quick wave, meaning goodbye. Luce waved back, and closed the door. With the hours flying by, it's time for bed. She found Claire watching _Titanic_, which is near the end and right at the saddest part. Luce hurried to avoid seeing it because it makes her cry every time she sees that scene.

Heading up the stairs, she can hear her phone ring. Luce found her phone on her bed, and checked to see what it was that made her phone rang. On rare occasions, Aubrey sent her a text, but it was just a question of whether she should get the black knee-high boots to go with her Street Style outfit. Luce shrugged, since it's cute, so she put that it was okay, and sent the message to her. The brunette checked the time, and it was almost ten.

She sighed, checking for anything new that happened while she was downstairs. There were a couple of emails, two texts from Glitch and Emilia, and a missed call and voice mail. She checked the missed call, and it made Luce gasp and felt her heart skip a beat.

Oblio called her an hour ago, and even though it was good that he tried to call back, she felt so bad that she didn't get to accept the call. Nonetheless, Luce felt relieved. She deleted the missed call, since it would annoy her for having a record of missed calls tracked on her phone.

"So you did get my call? I'm glad you're okay, at least," Luce said quietly. She flashed a small smile, feeling thankful that he's safe. She went to the voice mail from him, so she touched it and placed the phone to her ear, her heart beating a bit faster after doing so.

_"Luce... I hope you can forgive me for leaving, but... I need you and D-Coy to meet me at High Tide Beach tomorrow at ten. I'll tell all of you everything you need to know." _Luce can feel her heart beat faster, ending the voice mail. She sat down on her bed, sighing in relief. He's okay, but will she be okay when he'll tell her what's going on to him?

Luce pounded a number on her phone and she placed it to her ear. _"Hey, Luce,"_ Dare's voice picked up. _"This call is later than before. What's up?" _The brunette went to her window and looked at the view of the city at night, looking at a faraway, but not too distant building, which is Dare's apartment.

"I need you and MacCoy to pick me up before ten in the morning, and we have to head to High Tide Beach by then. A friend..." Luce paused, not knowing if he would still be considered a friend after what just happened. "A friend told me that we have to be there, so no pressure."

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**~Chapter Sixteen coming soon...~**

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******Now that we know Luce has feelings for Oblio (obviously! XD We just got her to confess in front of Angel and Claire), what will happen when the two of them will meet? Even though Dare and MacCoy is going to be there, just imagine what will happen. :D Since this was uploaded during the Labor Day weekend, I wish you all a happy Labor Day and enjoy having a long weekend. ^_^**

******Don't forget to review please. :) It helps a lot and it supports my writing motivation. I'll see you soon~**


	16. Trust Needed

**********Before I can get into the new chapter, 60 reviews? Oh God, I love you all! Thanks a bunch! We need to keep up the good work! ^_^ I also want to mention about the eye colors of some characters, just to get it out of the way.**

**I originally put Dare's eye color as brown, because in the first Dance Central, she does have them, and it was also confirmed in the picture of D-Coy being missing. However, I changed it to green because in DC3, it shows it green, and I have a picture of her when the Facebook page of DC showed her on her birthday. MacCoy has blue eyes in this adaption, but they look dark enough to be brown in DC3, even with the goggles on. But I'm keeping them blue just for the sake of source.**

**And finally, Oblio's eyes are obviously blue in this story because of DC and the sprite and pixel are in DC3. It's really confusing that he changed from blue eyes to brown in the course of DC1 to DC3, especially in gameplay. I guess it's for the sake of showing that he has his father's genes and all that good stuff. For the others, all their eyes have been the same since then and they will be no different in my adaption.**

**Sorry for the long author's note, but I just want to clarify it quickly. Now, here's the chapter! :D**

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**~Chapter Sixteen: Trust Needed~**

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Luce lays there on her bed at twelve in the morning, trying her best to sleep. She was nervous about what Oblio wants to tell her, and surprisingly, D-Coy. While she was sleeping, she can swear that she's hearing someone singing. She can't tell if it was a dream, or she was listening to music, since she did do that before going to bed. Music is one of the few things that can help her sleep, other than being comforted by someone and taking a bath before then.**********  
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"I got you dancing, I got you dancing, doing it, d-doing it..."

Luce shot up, put on her glasses, and turned on her lamp. There, she sees Dare sitting on one of her bean bags, listening to her iPod, and singing along to the lyrics of "I Got You Dancing". Luce never expected her to just come to her house without letting her know, so this was unexpected.

"What the hell are you doing here in the middle of the night?" Luce complained. She loves her best friend, but Dare is a night owl and can last until two in the afternoon. Luckily, Dare was finished with the song and paused the playlist, taking off her earbuds along the way.

"Sorry, Diamond," she said apologetically. "MacCoy and I thought that we would head over here to make this trip you spoke of faster. Plus, my parents just got back, and they are sleeping their butts off after their trip, so I don't want them to see me in the morning." Luce stretched her arms and checked the time. 12:34 and she felt like she only got minutes worth of sleep.

"Where's MacCoy?" Luce asked. As if on cue, she heard a rather loud snore on Luce's blue love seat. Thank goodness he's laying on his back, and that she hadn't been disturbed by his snores while sleeping. Luce smiled weakly, due to her exhaustion coming up again. "Do what you want, but I'm really tired, so goodnight, Dare."

With a chirpy look on her face she put on her music and started to feel a bit tired too. "Night, Diamond~." For a second, Luce hummed the same thing, but with her friend's name. She slowly closed her eyes and fell asleep a few minutes afterward.

As soon the day's first light appeared in the room, Luce's phone had to go off at six, which made Luce groan a bit, but once she takes a shower, she'll better. So to make that happen, she took her clothes she picked out for today and her glasses that she didn't bother to put on since it would be a waste to wear one now and then take a shower.

Once she closed the door, that leaves only Dare and MacCoy in the room. The pink haired girl might wake up later since she has stayed up during midnight. The blond Ukrainian raised his hands to rub his eyes, but he noticed that his goggles were still on, for some strange reason. His blue eyes found Dare sleeping on Luce's black bean bag. The way she curled to the comfort zone of the chair made his heart race a bit.

He blushed lightly. His smile was cheesy, but adorable at the same time. Since he and the other two have to be at High Tide Beach, he decided to wake her up gently so that they don't have to waste time for Luce. Using his hand placed on her shoulder, he slowly shook her to get her up.

"Dare, it's morning," MacCoy said softly. "There might be some smoothies downstairs." When the word smoothies was brought up, Dare's green eyes shot open and turned her body to where she's on her back fully.

Without thinking, she headed downstairs and found Claire drinking iced tea. Claire was surprised by her action, and she almost dropped her tea. So she puts it down and stands up. "Dare, what on earth is the rush?"

"MacCoy told me there are smoothies down here!" the pink haired said with joy. "Is that true?" Claire raised both her eyebrows, curious, but she shook her head with a frown. Dare slumped her shoulders and sat down at the bar, crossing her arms and laying her head to where her chin sits on her arms. The blond went downstairs to see the quirky girl looking disappointed. He sat down beside her with a small frown.

"I'm sorry Dare," MacCoy said calmly. "At least you're awake, and before we can head to the beach, I'll head to the smoothie stop for us." Dare smiled back, seemingly back to normal.

"Aww, love, it's okay~! As long as we get there, I'll be fine," Dare said, giving MacCoy a soft kiss on the cheek. When that happened, Luce headed down the stairs fully dressed in her Street Style outfit for today and giggled as quietly as she can, but the two heard her.**********  
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"Did I miss something?" Luce asked, using her towel from her head to rub her wet hair to make it dry faster. She can see them blushing lightly, so that wraps up her evidence of what happened. "I knew you two would be an item," she added, heading up the stairs to dry her hair once more.

"W-Wait, Luce!" MacCoy said, still blushing. Luce stopped and turned around to face the two. "We- I mean..." Dare gave him a sneaky grin, despite him trying to avoid the subject. "...well, don't go saying that we're together!" The brunette laughed, heading back up.

"It's really no secret, MacCoy," Dare said cheerfully, wrapping her arm around him. "Even the other crews found out our feelings for each other." The blond sighed, but at least he's happy.

"So you two lovebirds ready to go?" Luce said, now without a towel and a grin on her face. MacCoy took his keys and the three of them head out to his white van. To make the time go fast, they decided to get some breakfast at McDonald's, and it's also a heaven for smoothies. It was sad for Dare that there's not any goji berry smoothies there, she likes her strawberry banana. Other than that, she ordered some cinnamon melts, while Luce wanted a wild berry smoothie and a chicken biscuit with hash browns, and MacCoy requested a sausage burrito with an iced mocha.

With the order paid off with their cash, they started to head off the High Tide Beach, which is about half an hour from where they just ordered breakfast. The three of them chatted and listened to their tunes with the help of Pandora, and it made the small car trip a blast. Sadly, it has to end due to the fact that they made it to their destination. The first thing they noticed was a motorcycle, and a jacket left there. Looking closer, there were footsteps trailing. MacCoy put the van on park, and with the two women, they followed the path.

The sand is white as snow, and the water blue as the sky. Is that why Oblio wanted to talk to them here? Because it's quiet and peaceful? No later than about a minute, there stands a person looking at the horizon of the sea with sunglasses. Luce felt her heart beat so suddenly, and took a deep breath before catching up with Dare and MacCoy.

When she met his gaze, she can feel her skin heat up. Her chocolate-brown eyes stared gracefully into his sea blue eyes, despite him wearing sunglasses, and the thought of seeing him again was ecstatic. She wanted to ask questions, embrace him- No, now's not the time to have a soap opera moment.

"So you've made it?" Oblio asked calmly.

"I guess you can say that," Dare said. MacCoy was scratching his head nervously, while Luce looked away blushing. Oblio nodded, his focus mostly on Luce, despite the pink haired's response.

"So what's the deal of talking to us? Luce told the two of us that we have to meet with you here?" MacCoy asked, putting his hand down.

"There's really not much to say for me, but what I must explain to you... will be at another place. Just follow me and all will be explained." When D-Coy started walking off, Luce was stopped by the touch of Oblio's hand on her wrist. Hopefully he can't see Luce's shade of red across her face with his sunglasses. She's feeling so nervous, she thought of predictions of what he might do, including him bringing her closer to him, or placing her hand to his cheek and caress himself with her hand. "I'm so sorry for everything..." he said apologetically.

"No..." Luce fired back, but not roughly, actually rather kindly. "I should be the one sorry. I've been a terrible friend, not knowing why we've come this far, and then... I let you go, not knowing what was bothering you." Oblio looked at her softly for those words she spoke of. He felt that she's right, but it was his fault for not being the role of a friend. Instead, he wanted to face his problems on his own, but he has Luce and DCI with them, so he should worry about nothing. When he took off his sunglasses, Luce noticed something different about him: his haircut.

His long bangs cover his left eye still, but he's cut it shorter, especially at the back. Luce loved his hair before then, and now he's cut it. However, that doesn't stop him from being attractive. "I promise that everything that I haven't been telling you will be revealed. You don't have to, but do you want a ride from me?" When that question arise, Luce couldn't help but smile with relief. She figured she can spend some time with him before heading off to where ever he will take her and D-Coy.

She nodded, walking down the beach with him until they reach his motorcycle. Oblio gave Luce his helmet, in which she accepted it and put it on, while Oblio put on his shades. Once they got settled, Oblio started the engine, and signaled MacCoy to follow him once he and Dare were prepared to head off. The bluenette's bike heads off at excellent speed, and it gave Luce a hint of euphoria.

The rush from riding with him came back, and it was exciting, thrilling as well. Having her arms wrapped his waist shows how much she doesn't want to let him go, but in this case, she has to in order to be safe. Besides that, she does feel safe with him. Luce wishes she could just stay like this forever, not having to worry about anything, but Oblio, due to her love for him. If only he doesn't have a conflict within himself...

Oblio stopped at a building with a telephone booth next to it, which was strange to Luce, Dare, and MacCoy. Regardless, they got out of their respective rides and followed him. As he finished speaking on the corded telephone, the four of them headed down the what seems to be an elevator, which surprised the three of them, except for Oblio. Once the final sub-level was reached, the doors opened, revealing a purple themed room.

Now that Luce and D-Coy know about the place, all that awaits them is an empty headquarters with only two people in front of them...

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**************************~Chapter Seventeen coming soon...~**

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**********Ooh, what will happen next? Tehe~ XD I did give you a hint on one of my author's notes in some past chapter about this being in the DC2 arc, so be prepared! Now I want to draw Luce now. :P Thank God I have an art class. XD After this story is finished, I'm thinking of doing another Dance Central story that's based on right after the events of DC3 (thank you Euthanasian for making the awesome pixel art!). I don't really have the urge to make a Dancing Diamond prequel, but you may never know!**

**********I also want to thank you guys again for giving this story around sixty reviews! Wow! But I think we can get more, so please review? :3 You'll get some cookies or perhaps what Dare loves so much: smoothies!**


	17. DCI Adventure

**Before I can get on with the small author's note, I have a couple of things to say, first with shout outs.**

**Agent Glitch: Thank you for the awesome review you left me last chapter! I was really speechless at first, and now, I'm glad to have another buddy like you! I'll be sure to keep making the story great for you and all those following this story!**

**SrslyWTFdudez xD: Aww, you do have potential, so that's why I read your stories! :) I'm looking forward to more of your updates, and another thanks for the review. :D**

**And now, a quick update on what happened from the past weeks. I had a lot of tests and even a persuasive essay to do, so unfortunately, I didn't have time to type up this chapter. While that happened, a lot of tragedies happened at my hometown: a senior at my former high school and her family's house burned down I believe Tuesday morning, and then... a former classmate that I sadly didn't get to know more of died Thursday night. I'm not going to say how he died, but he was dedicated to cross-country and supportive of his friends and family. It breaks my heart to know that something like this happened, and I hope he'll rest in peace.  
**

**Now let's get to this before I get depressed. This week, I will be at school for two days, and then my fall break will be in place! :D Now I have to wait next week for Pokémon X because I'm so hyped for it. Now back to Dance Central; I've also made plans of what Dr. Tan will be planning, so it's not going to be like Project Lockstep in DC3, but something similar. Now, on to the chapter, shall we? :)****  
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**~Chapter Seventeen: DCI Adventure~ **

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Luce, Dare, and MacCoy stare at the two mid-twenties who were smiling at them. From by the looks on their faces, they seemed to have heard of the three before. They walked up to the three, and held out their hands.

"It's good to see you. We're glad that Oblio's brought you three here today. Our names are Rasa and Lima," Rasa brought up, while Luce was offered to shake his hand, then so on until Lima went to her. "Of course you're aware of us, but not exactly what you thought of." D-Coy nodded, but Luce wanted more than an introduction from them.

"I'm sorry to ask, but we're here for a reason, as I heard from someone," she replied, mentioning Oblio. The older brunette realized and nodded, using her see through tablet to type and then when she finished, she showed it to the three.

"That's right, Luce," Lima replied as she tapped the picture of a man gently with her fingernail. "Oblio's called you three to help us bring this man to dancing justice." The three got a closer look, and they instantly recognize him.

"It's that old geezer who held the party at Tan Manor!" MacCoy said. "But why is he bad?" Lima put down her tablet on a clear table, and sat down on one of the monochrome couches. The rest followed her lead and sat down with whoever's in their crew. This time, it's Rasa's turn to continue what's going on.

"He's the one who sent you all the invitations to the party, not us. At first, I didn't recognize who he was before I saw his picture again. Before I worked here, I was his assistant in Tan Dance Industries two years ago. I used to think the same thing he did: that being dance has no freestyle, just structure. When I met Lima, however, that's when I realized dance is more than that, so I quit my job there and started fresh here. Now enough with my personal information with him, now Lima will tell you what he's been planning."

"With Oblio's knowledge of what his father's doing," Lima said, spoiling the important twist in a way that won't be too dramatic, "we researched him and had access to his office buildings thanks to Rasa." Luce froze from what she just heard. "He's conducted a plan to make every single dance planned out in his vision, with the help of what he calls, his 'minions'. That's what's breaking the laws of dance; imitating and then the rest is history."

Luce thought she was going to black out because she just found out. That's why Oblio's in solitude. He found out why dancing is one of the most creative arts, and his father denied it because how he envision it is different. Because of that, he started to live on his own, and when he found out where the party was before Luce knew, he looked paranoid, which is not him at all. He was so desperate to leave so that no one like Dr. Tan himself can know he's there.

But she was the reason he stayed, but hidden by being outside while the party was ongoing. Thinking about the letter he sent her if anything bad happens to him, it came to her that she would be in Dr. Tan's plan, and Oblio could never let that happen. And yet, she's drawn to him like a moth to a flame... Realizing her feelings for him, Luce can't let him face his problems on his own. After all, they share a common bond due to their deceased mothers.

Now that she knows everything that's been hidden for too long, she will never go back on her word. She will protect Oblio and stop Dr. Tan's plans at any cost. Whatever it takes, she will _not _let anyone take the love of her life, no matter what.

"I understand," Luce said boldly, looking dead on to the DCI agents. The two noticed how her voice was serious, and surprisingly, it nearly shocked them. Dare and MacCoy looked at her carefully, while her crew partner stared nonchalantly, relieved that she wouldn't be upset of what's happened. Luce may not be the type of person to do so, but now she must speak her mind so that she wouldn't have to worry about pauses of planning. "He must have planned on the party to study our type of dance and use that to copy and reestablish it." Luce frowned for a second. "Even though I was a bit lucky not to dance due to me being worried about Oblio, he probably already has Lu$h's style and Riptide's. I'm not sure about Flash4wrd's, but I know that Hi-Def is close to ours. Whatever it takes, I won't let him use Oblio for his evil plans. D-Coy and Lightning will put a stop to it."

The DCI crew looked into her eyes to see how serious she is, and boy, was she. Lima smiled at how willing she was to help, while Rasa stood up and straightened his tie for the umpteenth time. "Oblio has obtained a confident partner, hasn't he?" The African-American asked. Lima nodded, standing up beside him, arms crossed. "I think we should get the three of them their small checkup along with choosing an outfit."

"Luce, Dare, come with me, while MacCoy, you follow Rasa," Lima said. Rasa instructed MacCoy, while Lima took Dare and Luce to the opposite direction. With the time it'll take for them to get started, Oblio decided to use the time to meditate. Before they were out of the main hall, Luce took one more peek of Oblio before following the two ladies. Lima guided them into a fitting room with built-in touchscreen computers on each side of the doors to change in. "You two, step in the changing rooms and I shall get you all prepared for the quick check up."

The pinkette and brunette went into the rooms, and before they know it, a blue ray of light started to scan their bodies. Luce shielded her eyes from the brightness, while Dare in the other changing area, raised her hands up for some strange reason.

"I didn't take it, I swear!" she said worriedly. On the other side, Luce laughed as the scanner continued.

"This isn't a detector of what you're thinking of, Dare," Lima assured kindly. Seeing that the scanning process is complete Lima went to the computer, starting from the left, and wrote down what it said. "Okay, Dare, you're at five feet, four inches, and at a hundred and fourteen pounds, while you, Luce, are at five feet, seven inches, and weigh a hundred and twenty-five pounds." Luce and Dare headed out of the fitting rooms as soon as the older brunette finished writing down their information.

"So why do you have to check out our height and weight if you're not a doctor?" Dare asked. Luce nodded, crossing her arms.

"Sometimes it's better to not ask questions," Lima stated, who seemed disturbed by that too. "It's been that way since the beginning. But the reason is so that we can offer you two the choices of DCI agent clothing. Now follow me to the boutique." Obliged, the two followed Lima which took two minutes for the three of them to find the boutique, and as they made it, they found Rasa and MacCoy already there. MacCoy was trying to find something that would go well with his goggles, while having the clothing being black and purple all the way.

"Good to see you two again!" Rasa said happily. "We're still trying to find clothes that will match his signature goggles." Dare giggled and went up to the blond to wrap her long-sleeved arms around him.

"Unless you have purple goggles in this store, I don't think anything will match what he wants," Dare said to Rasa. Luce from afar laughed quietly, looking for something that would fit her style, but would match her crew as well. It was tough, considering that they have a cute pair of purple and black plaid boots, but then again, there's also a pair of black converse that would reach up to her knees. She's considering getting the plaid boots, but she picked both shoes up to see the price at the bottom, and surprisingly, there's none.

"Find something you like?" a deep and soft voice asked the brunette. It almost scared Luce and she turned around to see Oblio looking calm as usual.

"I guess..." she replied with a sigh. "I can only afford these amazing boots, but I really do want to try some other outfits and accessorize as much as I can." The bluenette realized her conflict, so just to make her feel better, he decided to tell her the pros and cons of the store.

"You don't have to worry about paying for your outfit. I guess you can say it's like a free offer, but you need to make a wise choice. Only one outfit, and it must meet your needs." This relieved Luce, discovering that she can pick whatever she wants to wear as her DCI agent outfit, but can only have that and no future selections. It was a good thing there wasn't anything aqua colored for her, or she wouldn't know what to do. With that, Luce carefully observed the rest of the store, and found what ever stole her heart.

When the two of them headed outside of the store to wait for Dare and MacCoy to finish their bickering, yet helping each other to find what would look good on them, Luce wondered what would happen if none of this occurred at all. What if Oblio's father wasn't a psychotic and wouldn't commit the dance crimes? What would happen if Luce and D-Coy weren't needed? And what if... Oblio didn't exist in this world?

The brunette felt guilty for thinking of that. He's here, and that's all she wanted. As long as he's safe here with her, nothing can bring her down.

"...but it does look cute!" Dare said as her words were fading in while walking with MacCoy. She referred to his new purple goggles that bounced swiftly while walking and carrying his bag of his DCI clothing.

"I still think orange is my best color, though," the blond DJ replied. "At least I'm not getting rid of it." Once the two stood beside Luce and Oblio, the DCI agents walked up to them with a smile.

"Good," Rasa said with a grin. "Now walk with us; we have to discuss our task for you four." Following the older people's lead, the four followed them back to headquarters. The older brunette went to the computer to check on what she's put in there, and installed it on her tablet.

"This may seem strange for you all, but for a about a week, the four of you will stay here," Lima stated, holding her tablet and reading something from it. Lima looked back at them, more specifically, Luce and D-Coy, and gave them a hopeful smile. "We've already contacted your parents or guardians, and they understand." MacCoy and Dare gave each other a high-five, due to their relief, while Luce sighed instead. Thank goodness Claire wouldn't go berserk and drive all over the city just to find her.

"So, we only have two pairs of clothes to own including the ones we're wearing right now?" Dare asked. Lima smiled at her eagerly.

"We have your clothes sent to your respective rooms, but you have to wear your DCI uniforms so that those who rep for the respective crews won't gang up on you. The crew challenges last for two hours, so a little bit of cleaning them when you get back here will help you feel fresh."

"Starting tomorrow evening, Riptide planned their crew challenge, and you four will observe and make sure everything is balanced," Rasa said as soon as Lima finished. "If anyone that doesn't fit the scene starts crashing or makes a riot, contact us through the ear piece and we'll be there as soon as possible." Lightning crew nodded calmly, while D-Coy gave him a yes and thumbs up.

There's no going back after all. Who knows when Luce will see Claire again, and what will happen in the crew challenges in the near future. Bringing justice is now the four's number one priority, and peace in the dancing world will linger longer...

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**~Chapter Eighteen coming soon...~**

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**Well, there we go! I hope this didn't confuse you; I felt like I was rushing it to get to the point. D: But now we can get to the part where the four of them will observe the Big Five. XD Riptide is obviously first, then Flash4wrd, Lu$h, then Hi-Def, and finally, Glitterati. I'm super excited for the last three, since I like them more. And I know that some certain people are excited for the Glitterati to finally appear. ;) I'm working on it, so be patient~**

**Since I added Dare's and Luce's height and weight, I'll put in MacCoy's (taken from the picture of D-Coy being missing in DC3) height and weight for those who don't know it yet. He's at six feet, two inches tall, and weighs a hundred and eighty pounds. I'll guess Oblio's, so it's not accurate~ But I was on Tumblr and found a blog that has approximation predictions, so I credit the person who made that. XD In this, he's six feet, four inches tall, and he'll weigh a hundred and eighty-seven pounds. Boy, I bet they're strong. -blushes- If you have a Tumblr and you want to follow/ask me questions on there, feel free to do so! Now y'all will be wondering what's taking me so long to finish this. XD**

**And the final cue: time to review, if you like! :D**


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